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Latest television & radio news, comment, reviews and analysis from the Guardianen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015Tue, 03 Mar 2015 19:36:17 GMT2015-03-03T19:36:17Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015The Guardianhttp://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttp://www.theguardian.com
I'm with Simon Cowell, let's bring professional wrestling back to British TVhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/mar/03/simon-cowell-professional-wrestling-back-british-tv
<p>I agree, the return of tummy-bumping to our screens could be a glororious thing. But there are a few rules. …</p><p>This weekend, Simon Cowell revealed that he’d like nothing more than to bring wrestling back to British television. You can’t blame him: professional wrestling was once a huge part of British culture, and the fact that it has fallen by the wayside is a cause for despair.</p><p>For some people, Britishness is a gentle stroll through a springtime meadow. For others it’s the endless nocturnal swirl of city life. Not for me, though. For me – and, we can assume, for Simon Cowell – to be British is to spend your Saturday afternoons sitting on a tatty sofa in a house that smells of chip fat, watching two fat blokes repeatedly bump tummies in their pants for money.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/mar/03/simon-cowell-professional-wrestling-back-british-tv">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionCultureTelevision & radioEntertainmentWrestlingSportSimon CowellMediaTue, 03 Mar 2015 12:54:58 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/mar/03/simon-cowell-professional-wrestling-back-british-tvStuart Heritage2015-03-03T12:54:58ZRussell Tovey: he may be proud but is the ‘worst gay ever’ actually sorry?http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/shortcuts/2015/mar/03/russell-tovey-proud-worst-gay-ever-apology-effeminate-actor
<p>The actor is having to backtrack after comments about effeminate men, but something about his Twitter apology fails to fully convince</p><p><strong>Name: </strong>Russell Tovey.</p><p><strong>Age:</strong> 33.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/01/russell-tovey-looking-banished-interview">Russell Tovey: ‘I was a scared, skinny little rat. Then I hit the gym…’</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/shortcuts/2015/mar/03/russell-tovey-proud-worst-gay-ever-apology-effeminate-actor">Continue reading...</a>Russell ToveyThe ObserverNewspapers & magazinesTue, 03 Mar 2015 16:02:25 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/shortcuts/2015/mar/03/russell-tovey-proud-worst-gay-ever-apology-effeminate-actorGuardian Staff2015-03-03T16:02:25ZCritical, Wolf Hall, The World at War, The Great Painting Challenge and others: TV review – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/mar/03/critical-wolf-hall-world-war-great-painting-challenge-tv-review-video
This week, telly addict <strong>Andrew Collins</strong> checks his pulse and wheels himself into new, real-time medical trauma drama Critical on Sky1; laments the end of Mark Rylance's face-acting in the sublime Wolf Hall on BBC2; celebrates Laurence Olivier's pronunciation on The World At War; watches acrylic dry with The Great Painting Challenge on BBC1; and enjoys the ride with Reginald D Hunter for Songs Of The South on BBC2. There's also room for a bit of Gogglebox<br /><br />• <strong>WARNING: contains offensive language</strong> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/mar/03/critical-wolf-hall-world-war-great-painting-challenge-tv-review-video">Continue reading...</a>Television & radioTue, 03 Mar 2015 11:09:56 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/mar/03/critical-wolf-hall-world-war-great-painting-challenge-tv-review-videoAndrew Collins and Mona Mahmood2015-03-03T11:09:56ZBetter Call Saul recap: season one episode five – Alpine Shepherd Boyhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/03/better-call-saul-recap-season-one-episode-five-alpine-shepherd-boy
<p>After the hectic pace of previous weeks, things settle down a bit as Jimmy finds his feet – and light relief from a talking sex toilet</p><p><em>Spoiler warning: do not read until you’ve seen the fifth episode of </em><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/better-call-saul"><em>Better Call Saul</em></a><em> on AMC/Netflix</em></p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/24/better-call-saul-recap-season-one-episode-four-hero">Better Call Saul recap: season one, episode four – Hero</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/17/better-call-saul-recap-season-one-episode-three-nacho">Better Call Saul recap: season one, episode three – Nacho</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/09/better-call-saul-recap-season-one-episode-two">Better Call Saul recap: season one episode two</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/03/better-call-saul-recap-season-one-episode-five-alpine-shepherd-boy">Continue reading...</a>Better Call SaulDramaTelevisionCultureTelevision & radioComedyComedyUS televisionBreaking BadTue, 03 Mar 2015 09:32:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/03/better-call-saul-recap-season-one-episode-five-alpine-shepherd-boyRichard Vine2015-03-03T09:32:11ZArthur & George review – the mysterious case of the shadow of Sherlock Holmeshttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/03/arthur-george-review-sherlock-holmes-julian-barnes
This is a fine, well-acted adaptation of Julian Barnes’s novel, but reminders of a certain deer-stalkered sleuth are everywhere<p>The middle of the night, somewhere in the countryside. A full moon hides bashfully behind the clouds, only occasionally peeking out. Mist lies in smoky wisps on the ground. Baskervillian in feel? A little, maybe, but this is agricultural, not moorland. There is a man creeping about in the dark, and a large beast; but it’s a horse, and this time the animal is victim. The man sticks it in the stomach with something sharp; a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichenbach_Falls" title="">Reichenbach</a> of horse juice cascades out.</p><p>This is one of many attacks on farm animals in the parish of Great Wyrley. Suspicion quickly falls on a young man called George Edalji. Well, the evidence is pretty damning: he’s mixed race (I doubt anyone ever accused rural Staffordshire, 1903, of being the epicentre of either intelligence or tolerance). His British-Indianness should be enough for a conviction. Never mind that he’s a goody two-shoes vicar’s son and solicitor who wouldn’t hurt the flies swarming around a dying horse’s stab wound.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/03/arthur-george-review-sherlock-holmes-julian-barnes">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionTelevision & radioCultureArthur Conan DoyleTue, 03 Mar 2015 07:00:13 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/03/arthur-george-review-sherlock-holmes-julian-barnesSam Wollaston2015-03-03T07:00:13ZFinland’s Eurovision entries – nul points? No problemhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/finland-eurovision-entries-nul-points-punk-band-pertti-kurikan-nimipaivat
<p>Finnish punk band Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät will represent the country in this year’s competition. They’re the latest in a fine tradition of off-beat entrants from the Nordic state that’s come last nine times since 1961</p><p>Finland will win <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/eurovision">Eurovision</a> this year. Its chosen entry, Aina Mun Pit&auml;&auml; by <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/27/finnish-punk-band-take-punt-eurovision-title">Pertti Kurikan Nimip&auml;iv&auml;t</a>, is a winning mixture of rebellion (it’s an 85-second-long punk song) and inspiration (all the band members have learning disabilities). Nothing can stop them. But we’ve been here before. Finland’s Eurovision history is studded with incredible songs that deserved to do better than they actually did. Here are some of Pertti Kurikan Nimip&auml;iv&auml;t’s spiritual forebears:</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/finland-eurovision-entries-nul-points-punk-band-pertti-kurikan-nimipaivat">Continue reading...</a>EurovisionMusicCultureFinlandEuropeWorld newsDisabilitySocietyLearning disabilityPunkMon, 02 Mar 2015 13:37:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/finland-eurovision-entries-nul-points-punk-band-pertti-kurikan-nimipaivatStuart Heritage2015-03-02T13:37:04ZI Survived a Zombie Apocalypse is a reality show with real bitehttp://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2015/mar/02/i-survived-a-zombie-apocalypse-is-a-reality-show-with-real-bite
<p>BBC3’s high-concept reality show is like a cross between Big Brother and The Walking Dead, pitting housemates against an outside world of flesh-hungry zombies</p><p>Can anything stop the zombie zeitgeist? Perhaps at some point we’ll all get properly fed up with walkers, rotters, biters and anything else that shuffles off this mortal coil, only to keep on shuffling. Right now, though, we’re stuck with them. So it’s surprising it’s taken so long for a zombie-themed reality show to appear, especially when<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/oct/18/horror-channel4"> Channel 4’s gory satire Dead Set</a> essentially provided proof-of-concept back in 2008. Thankfully BBC3 – a channel currently contemplating <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/dec/10/bbc3-axed-dont-tell-the-bride-snog-marry-avoid">its own kind of compromised afterlife</a> – has come up with the goods.<br /></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2015/mar/02/i-survived-a-zombie-apocalypse-is-a-reality-show-with-real-bite">Continue reading...</a>ZombiesReality TVBBC3BBCTelevisionCultureTelevision & radioMon, 02 Mar 2015 12:44:27 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2015/mar/02/i-survived-a-zombie-apocalypse-is-a-reality-show-with-real-biteGraeme Virtue2015-03-02T12:44:27ZHouse of Cards recap: season three, episode one – 'you have to be a little human'http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/27/house-of-cards-recap-season-three-episode-one
<p>Frank has made it, all the way to the Oval Office, but how can he improve his plunging approval ratings? </p><p><em>SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read on if you haven’t seen season three, episode one of <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/house-of-cards">House of Cards</a>. Please do not leave spoilers for future episodes if you have seen further ahead.</em></p><p>Frank’s back, urinating on his dad’s headstone. He may now be the president of the United States, but he’s not above oedipal score-settling. Last season, Underwood revealed that, aged 13, he had gone into the family barn and found his selfish coward of a father with a gun in his mouth. Little Frank was invited by his father to administer the coup de grace. “My only regret in life is that I didn’t pull that trigger.”</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/26/will-house-cards-collapse-around-president-underwood-series-three">House of Cards season three primer: can a president get away with murder?</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/12/house-of-cards-leak-netflix-marketing-ploy-gaffe">House of Cards leak: marketing ploy or gaffe? Either way Netflix wins</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/27/house-of-cards-recap-season-three-episode-one">Continue reading...</a>House of CardsDramaTelevisionCultureTelevision & radioUS televisionKevin SpaceyFri, 27 Feb 2015 09:24:32 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/27/house-of-cards-recap-season-three-episode-oneStuart Jeffries2015-02-27T09:24:32ZIndian Summers recap: season one, episode three – power, politics and cakehttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/mar/01/indian-summers-recap-season-one-episode-three-power-politics-and-cake
<p>Indian Summers’ energy was always going to come from agitation beyond the garden gates – and there are signs the unrest is now approaching a healthy roil</p><p>Episode three is about the perpetuation of power through covert manipulation and violent repression – there is also a cake that looks like a boob.</p><p>The upcoming inquest into Ralph’s near-shooting (an event he describes as “a watershed moment”, like it was those two girls kissing on Brookside) forms the spine of the story. Ralph, who has something to hide, attempts to influence Aafrin’s testimony by offering him a new job as head clerk. I dunno; head clerk sounds as exciting as second washer-up, but, contextually, it’s a life-changing promotion.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/mar/01/indian-summers-recap-season-one-episode-three-power-politics-and-cake">Continue reading...</a>Indian SummersDramaTelevision & radioTelevisionSun, 01 Mar 2015 21:59:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/mar/01/indian-summers-recap-season-one-episode-three-power-politics-and-cakeRhik Samadder2015-03-01T21:59:07ZHouse of Cards recap: season three, episodes eight, nine and 10 – in the eye of the hurricanehttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/mar/01/house-of-cards-recap-episodes-eight-nine-and-10-in-the-eye-of-the-hurricane
<p>Claire is humbled, Petrov flexes his power, and Frank appears outsmarted by both the weather and his enemies. But for how long?</p><p><em>Spoiler warning: contains spoilers from episodes seven to 10 of season three of Netflix’s House of Cards </em></p><p>The focus groups think Claire Underwood should change her hair colour. And the presidential image consultants agree: if her husband is to win in 2016, she must revert to blonde. In House of Cards, it’s not just the personal that’s political, but the hairdo too. The premise here, never really explored, is that brunettes not only have less fun but their hair colour is threatening to voters, especially women and, apparently, Iowans. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/mar/01/house-of-cards-recap-episodes-eight-nine-and-10-in-the-eye-of-the-hurricane">Continue reading...</a>House of CardsDramaTelevisionCultureTelevision & radioUS televisionSun, 01 Mar 2015 13:54:17 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/mar/01/house-of-cards-recap-episodes-eight-nine-and-10-in-the-eye-of-the-hurricaneStuart Jeffries2015-03-01T13:54:17ZUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Ellie Kemper stars in Tina Fey's sunny sitcomhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/28/ellie-kemper-unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt
<p>After lighting up the US Office and Bridesmaids, Kemper is bringing her trademark cheeriness to a new Netflix series about a religious cult survivor</p><p>In 2015, it seems that few things are quite as beloved by TV execs as the apocalypse. From relentlessly grim fare such as zombie saga The Walking Dead and post-Rapture drama The Leftovers, to more knockabout stuff like ITV2’s Cockroaches (think The Road, but with the added misery of having to spend the end of days with Jack Whitehall) and Fox’s forthcoming Will Forte comedy The Last Man On Earth, you can scarcely move for charcoal-grey skies and burning piles of rubbish. And that’s without factoring in the real-world gloom over on the news channels.</p><p>It’s oddly refreshing, then, to come upon a show where the end of the world isn’t actually upon us. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, a new Netflix sitcom, opens with its titular character, played by comic actor Ellie Kemper, being freed from the bunker in which she’s spent the last 15 years as part of a doomsday cult. She is greeted not by a post-apocalyptic hellscape, but blinding sunshine.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/28/ellie-kemper-unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt">Continue reading...</a>ComedyTelevisionTelevision & radioCultureTina FeyNetflixSat, 28 Feb 2015 09:00:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/28/ellie-kemper-unbreakable-kimmy-schmidtGwilym Mumford2015-02-28T09:00:04ZThe week in TV: Critical; Broadchurch; Wolf Hall; South Bank Show: Mark Rylance; Immigration Streethttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/01/critical-broadchurch-wolf-hall-mark-rylance-south-bank-immigration-street-review
Jed Mercurio’s new real-time hospital drama made a gloriously gory debut, while the royal head finally rolled in Wolf Hall<p><strong>Critical</strong> (Sky 1) | <a href="http://go.sky.com/vod/content/Catch_Up/content/videoId/36757d3f3e29b410VgnVCM1000000b43150a________/content/default/videoDetailsPage.do">Sky Go</a></p><p><strong>Broadchurch</strong> (ITV1) | <a href="https://www.itv.com/itvplayer/broadchurch">ITV Player</a></p><p>Olivia Colman naturally acted her socks off</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2014/dec/28/jessica-raine-wolf-hall-call-the-midwife-interview">Jessica Raine: ‘If I’d been born in Tudor times I’d have married a blacksmith’</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/01/critical-broadchurch-wolf-hall-mark-rylance-south-bank-immigration-street-review">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionTelevision & radioCultureBroadchurchWolf HallBooksWolf HallJed MercurioSun, 01 Mar 2015 07:00:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/01/critical-broadchurch-wolf-hall-mark-rylance-south-bank-immigration-street-reviewEuan Ferguson2015-03-01T07:00:11ZNew generation of British actors gets its chance to shine in Game of Throneshttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/28/game-of-thrones-fifth-season
<p>With a track record of spotting tomorrow’s stars, the hit show’s fifth series puts the spotlight on newcomers Nell Tiger Free, Toby Sebastian and Jessica Henwick</p><p>When the world premiere of the much-anticipated fifth series of <em>Game of Thrones</em> takes place at the Tower of London on 18 March, it won’t only be fans queuing to find out what happens next. The red-carpet event is expected to be attended by most of the cast – and no one will be more excited than three largely unknown British actors who are set to play a major role this season.</p><p>Jessica Henwick, Toby Sebastian and Nell Tiger Free have all landed key parts in one of this season’s most eagerly awaited plotlines – events in the much-discussed but until now unseen Principality of Dorne, where a substantial part of the new season is expected to take place.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/jan/15/game-of-thrones-season-five-preview-six-things-we-need-to-know">Game of Thrones season five preview: six things we need to know</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/28/game-of-thrones-fifth-season">Continue reading...</a>Game of ThronesTelevision industryEntertainmentTelevision & radioUK newsMediaCultureSat, 28 Feb 2015 22:28:35 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/28/game-of-thrones-fifth-seasonSarah Hughes2015-02-28T22:28:35ZChannel 4’s Cucumber just got brilliant – if you’re not watching, start nowhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/27/channel-4s-cucumber-just-got-brilliant-if-youre-not-watching-start-now
<p>Episode six of Russell T Davies’s drama was one of the most devastating hours of TV in years. Perhaps it will now become the hit it deserves to be</p><p>We need a new phrase – the opposite of the overused “jump the shark” – to describe the moment when a TV series all falls into place; when we realise that we now not only know and understand these characters but are reaching the moment that defines their lives for us. In America, <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GrowingTheBeard">“growing the beard”</a>, alluding to an upturn in quality for Star Trek: The Next Generation which coincided with the appearance of Commander Riker’s face fuzz, has gained some traction. But just getting really good is not quite what’s going on with Cucumber. </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/jan/13/cucumber-gay-drama-sex-russell-t-davies-manchester-c4">Cucumber: ‘It’s about sex – really, really about sex’</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/05/cucumber-not-very-good-need-more-gay-tv">Cucumber is disappointing TV –&nbsp;which is why we need more gay dramas</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/27/channel-4s-cucumber-just-got-brilliant-if-youre-not-watching-start-now">Continue reading...</a>DramaTelevisionCultureTelevision & radioRussell T DaviesChannel 4Fri, 27 Feb 2015 10:58:28 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/27/channel-4s-cucumber-just-got-brilliant-if-youre-not-watching-start-nowBoyd Hilton2015-02-27T10:58:28ZWhat to watch after Wolf Hallhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/26/what-to-watch-after-wolf-hall
<p>In need of another dose of scheming and politics? House of Cards returns soon. Having Mark Rylance withdrawal symptoms? Watch him in The Government Inspector or listen to him in a CBeebies cartoon.</p><p>BBC2’s historical drama Wolf Hall has achieved something only the finest TV dramas can: it has left us bereft. The dramatisation of Hilary Mantel’s novels <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/series/wolf-hall-episode-by-episode">owned Wednesday nights in January and February</a>, and now it’s gone. What now?</p><p>First, if you were too emotionally wrung out after the final credits <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b05471yp/wolf-hall-the-inside-story">to notice Wolf Hall: the Inside Story</a> immediately afterwards on BBC4, check that out on iPlayer. Actor Mark Rylance and director Peter Kosminsky tell Kirsty Wark how they did it, discussing the show’s subtle subtexts, the modern parallels with the court of Henry VIII, and whether the TV and stage versions of Mantel’s books will have an impact on the final book in the trilogy, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jan/16/hilary-mantel-new-book-no-thomas-cromwell">the forthcoming The Mirror and the Light</a>. The intelligence behind Rylance’s performance blazes through. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/26/what-to-watch-after-wolf-hall">Continue reading...</a>Wolf HallDramaTelevision & radioTelevisionCultureThu, 26 Feb 2015 14:29:23 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/26/what-to-watch-after-wolf-hallJack Seale2015-02-26T14:29:23ZHouse of Cards season three primer: can a president get away with murder?http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/26/will-house-cards-collapse-around-president-underwood-series-three
<p>As the Netflix drama returns on 27 February can Frank Underwood outsmart his enemies? Will we be seeing more of Doug Stamper? And just what is Claire’s agenda? </p><p><em>Contains spoilers from seasons one and two of Netflix’s House of Cards</em></p><p>By the end of series two, Frank Underwood was in the Oval Office, Claire Underwood was fulfilling her first-lady destiny as Hillary Clinton meets <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Macbeth">Lady Macbeth</a> and Frank’s henchman Doug Stamper was lying in the woods, possibly dead, after taking three blows to the noggin from an ex-prostitute turned unconvincing born-again lesbian Christian. (Incidentally, if you’ve been the victim of an assault by an unconvincing born-again lesbian Christian, there are websites that advertise on daytime TV to help with your compensation claim.)</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/26/will-house-cards-collapse-around-president-underwood-series-three">Continue reading...</a>House of CardsTelevision & radioTelevisionCultureDramaUS televisionThu, 26 Feb 2015 12:26:52 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/26/will-house-cards-collapse-around-president-underwood-series-threeStuart Jeffries2015-02-26T12:26:52ZWolf Hall review: an ending so great we forgot we knew it was cominghttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/26/wolf-hall-review-an-ending-so-great-we-forgot-we-knew-it-was-coming
<p>So Anne Boleyn got the chop, and even the executioner was deftly portrayed; while a new two-part documentary showed the hard road ahead for women in politics</p><p>Six hours and a single sword swipe, and the king’s Great Matter is finally resolved. Last night saw the end of Anne Boleyn, and the TV adaptation of <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/hilary-mantel">Hilary Mantel</a>’s books Bring up the Bodies and <strong>Wolf Hall </strong>(BBC2). There wasn’t a moment of Peter Kosminsky’s direction or Peter Straughan’s deft, beautifully elliptical writing that left you wanting for anything throughout this six-week splendour. But the final 15 minutes – with Anne’s death interspersed with flashbacks to Thomas Cromwell’s typically reluctant, typically thorough, inspection of the scaffold – were exceptional.</p><p>How do you dramatise a world that is mostly interior calculation, silent power plays and noiseless traps? By assembling a cast in which there is not one weak link. Try Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Wolsey; Anton Lesser as the unflinching, infuriating Thomas More; and Damian Lewis as Henry (“Could you give us the kind of charismatic kingship that lasts down the ages with a side order of ego and caprice that could usher in a religious reformation? But we need to be able to love him, too, else this whole thing makes no sense?” “Coming right up”). And, as if that weren’t enough, Claire Foy moving flawlessly from bold, brave and brilliant bitch to sacrificial lamb as Anne Boleyn; and, of course, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/stage/mark-rylance">Mark Rylance </a>as the indefatigable, implacable, terrifying, awe-inspiring Cromwell, delivering a performance that will probably require the invention of new awards.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/26/wolf-hall-review-an-ending-so-great-we-forgot-we-knew-it-was-coming">Continue reading...</a>Wolf HallTelevisionTelevision & radioCultureDramaDocumentaryFactual TVThu, 26 Feb 2015 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/26/wolf-hall-review-an-ending-so-great-we-forgot-we-knew-it-was-comingLucy Mangan2015-02-26T07:00:00ZCardiac Arrest – box set review: a shocking portrait of hospital lifehttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/26/cardiac-arrest-box-set-review-jed-mercurio
Line of Duty creator, Jed Mercurio, is back with new a medical drama, Critical. Will it measure up to his first in the genre, which astonished viewers with its tales of euthanasia, bullying and incompetence on the wards?<p>Long before <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/feb/09/line-of-duty-jed-mercurio" title="">Jed Mercurio</a> was celebrated as the man behind dark police corruption drama Line of Duty, he made his name with another equally brooding show: Cardiac Arrest, which aired on BBC1 in the mid-1990s. Written (under the pseudonym John MacUre) when Mercurio was still working as a junior doctor at Drumchapel hospital in Glasgow, the series follows a group of sleep-deprived, stressed-out junior doctors as they cope with everything from bullying consultants and officious managers to surly nurses and patients too sick to save.</p><p>“Prolonging a patient’s death isn’t the same as prolonging his life,” the ice-cool <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9YtDY5wRoI" title="">Dr Claire Maitland (a career-best performance from Helen Baxendale) tells the wide-eyed and religious Dr Andrew Collin</a>, in the first episode. Cardiac Arrest’s greatest strength comes from that clear-eyed acknowledgment that the realities of medical life are very different from the airbrushed portrayals we see on most medical shows.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/23/medical-drama-flatlining-can-be-revived">Can Jed Mercurio's Critical revive the medical drama?</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/26/cardiac-arrest-box-set-review-jed-mercurio">Continue reading...</a>Medical dramaTelevisionTelevision & radioCultureJed MercurioThu, 26 Feb 2015 16:00:06 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/26/cardiac-arrest-box-set-review-jed-mercurioSarah Hughes2015-02-26T16:00:06ZFortitude recap: season one, episode five – living up to expectationshttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/26/fortitude-recap-season-one-episode-five-living-up-to-expectations
<p>The Arctic murder mystery cranks up the weirdness and we inch closer to an explanation of how Stoddart came to meet his maker</p><p><em>SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read on if you haven’t seen series one, episode five of <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/fortitude">Fortitude</a>.</em></p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/19/fortitude-recap-season-one-episode-four-bloodied-pyjamas-and-bear-attacks">Fortitude recap: season one, episode four – bloodied pyjamas and bear attacks</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/26/fortitude-recap-season-one-episode-five-living-up-to-expectations">Continue reading...</a>FortitudeTelevisionDramaCrime dramaCultureTelevision & radioThu, 26 Feb 2015 22:00:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/26/fortitude-recap-season-one-episode-five-living-up-to-expectationsGwilym Mumford2015-02-26T22:00:03ZDeath in Paradise review: the TV equivalent of a boring holiday timesharehttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/27/death-in-paradise-review
Series four of the Caribbean-set comedy drama bowed out with the usual bumbling Englishness, things being knocked over and comedy lizards<p>It’s rare there isn’t something new starting off, or something interesting and original happening, on television. But last night was one of those barren nights. So here’s something not very interesting or original coming to an end, the final episode of the current (fourth) series of <strong>Death in Paradise</strong> (BBC1).</p><p>It has been a while since I dropped into the Caribbean Island of Saint Marie, and I’m sad to see that DS Camille Bordey (Sara Martins) is no longer around. But a big bonjour to DS Florence Cassell (Josephine Jobert), whose role seems to be the same – to be beautiful and chic and neat and French in order to make DI Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) look even more shambolic and bumblingly British. And, along with the pretty scenery, to be a welcome distraction from the mundanity of the drama she’s in.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/27/death-in-paradise-review">Continue reading...</a>Crime dramaTelevisionTelevision & radioCultureDramaFri, 27 Feb 2015 07:00:08 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/27/death-in-paradise-reviewSam Wollaston2015-02-27T07:00:08ZClaire Foy: Wolf Hall's perfectly complex Anne Boleynhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/26/claire-foy-wolf-hall-perfect-anne-boleyn
<p>Was King Henry VIII’s second wife a sly mistress, ambitious hussy or doomed pawn in Tudor power games? Claire Foy’s magnetic portrayal in Wolf Hall left viewers thinking all of these things</p><p>For all the praise heaped upon Mark Rylance’s deserving shoulders for his beautifully subdued performance in Wolf Hall, less has been said about Claire Foy, the poised and emotionally complex Anne Boleyn he finally had executed in last night’s superb conclusion.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/may/11/hilary-mantel-on-anne-boleyn">Anne Boleyn: witch, bitch, temptress, feminist</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/feb/16/anne-boleyn-portrait-found-using-facial-recognition-software">Possible Anne Boleyn portrait found using facial recognition software</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/26/claire-foy-wolf-hall-perfect-anne-boleyn">Continue reading...</a>Wolf HallDramaCultureTelevision & radioMonarchyWolf HallMark RylanceDamian LewisTelevisionThu, 26 Feb 2015 08:49:21 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/26/claire-foy-wolf-hall-perfect-anne-boleynJulia Raeside2015-02-26T08:49:21ZThe Great Comic Relief Bake Off 2015 episode three – live bloghttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/live/2015/feb/25/the-great-comic-relief-bake-off-2015-episode-three-live-blog
<p>David Mitchell, Michael Sheen, Jameela Jamil and Sarah Brown are the stars baking in this week’s instalment of the cooking show. Sarah seems like the smart bet, but the question is: will Michael go for some (David) Frosting?</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:58:07.373Z">8.58pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>So that’s it for another week! Thank you very much for joining in - there’s one episode left next week, but alas I won’t be here, as I’m off skiing. However the lovely and splendid Vicky Frost(ing) will be putting on my liveblog pinny, so make sure you come back then. In the meantime you can find me on Twitter @heidistephens if you fancy saying hello. Cheers! Hx</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:57:20.058Z">8.57pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>So who will it be? Could be Sarah or Michael, poor David has been nudged out of the running. </p><p>And Star Baker goes to…MICHAEL! Well, that was a surprise. Poor Sarah, being calm and competent didn’t win the day, but as always she’s very lovely about it. And of course it’s all for charidee, so it doesn’t really matter. <br /></p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:54:32.473Z">8.54pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Sarah’s pavlova is amazing, I want it. The flavours are lovely, but it has too much coconut. Is she ever not calm? David’s rocket is cracked, but that’s OK. Not sure about the grey, it looks like loft insulation. Jameela’s is less a palova and more a bunch of meringue nipples and a bowl of Eaton Mess. Jameela looks a bit gutted. Michael’s looks great, and Paul declares it to be “absolutely stunning”. Sheer perfection, says Mary. Can he steal Star Baker at the final hurdle?</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:49:57.974Z">8.49pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Michael is drizzling his curd on top. It’s a bit runny. Writing that will never not feel wrong.</p><p>So in summary, Sarah’s looks amazing, David’s is massive, Jameela’s is a disaster and Michael’s is fab but possibly too little, too late. Time’s up!</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:48:47.394Z">8.48pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>David’s meringue has a massive burn hole in it, and Jameela’s is so awful that she decides to mash it into an Eton Mess. Michael is very happy with his passion fruit cream, and his pavlova is actually looking really good. Not as good as Sarah’s though, which I would happily pay good money for. </p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:48:34.351Z">8.48pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Sarah is quietly slicing lemons whilst everyone around her panics. Jameela is piping pavlova kisses, which look lovely but I’m not sure she’s left enough time. Her worktop is a disaster, which I’m finding upsetting.</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:45:10.305Z">8.45pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>David’s baking technique is to copy everything Sarah does, although his meringues have risen so much he can’t get them out of the oven. Michael offers to help Jameela, so she throws peaches at him. Her meringues are both undercooked AND burnt. </p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:42:46.785Z">8.42pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>I’m very happy to see Sarah likes to clean up as she goes along, it’s a bit of an obsession of mine. Sarah can come and bake in my kitchen any time.</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:42:02.415Z">8.42pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Jameela is perking up her pavlova with raspberries and cream, topped with baked peaches. Well that sounds bloody lovely, count me in.</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:41:19.304Z">8.41pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Sarah is making a tropical meringue, whilst Michael is making a lemon pavlova with passion fruit cream. Paul is worried about his timing, but Mary is imparting useful advice.</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:39:56.248Z">8.39pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Michael’s already got egg yolk in his meringue, whilst David is manhandling the sugar. Sarah is being competent, whilst Jameela has put oil instead of vinegar in her meringue. <br /></p><p>David is making a rocket pavlova, with moons and stars for decoration. He’s dying his meringue grey, which sounds vile.</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:36:53.035Z">8.36pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>And finally, it’s time for the showstopper challenge! The frontrunners are David and Sarah, whilst Jameela and Michael are going to have to do something pretty special. The challenge is a 3-layer pavlova with fruit and cream. </p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:31:46.976Z">8.31pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Jameela came last, Michael third and Sarah’s came second. Which means David’s pork/gala pies are the winner! Hooray!<br /></p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:30:47.717Z">8.30pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Jameela’s gone for heavy garnish. Her eggs are wonky, and the pastry is too thick. Needed more seasoning, says Mary, but it would definitely pass as a pork pie. GALA PIE, Paul. Michael’s needed more egg, but they’re well baked underneath. Nice flavour, however. Sarah’s have got a bit of leakage, and they’re slightly underbaked. But there’s plenty of meat in there, which Mary likes. David’s egg has listed, but they taste very good. </p><p>So all told, not a bad effort.<br /></p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:28:21.768Z">8.28pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Most of the pies look like pies, apart from Michael’s, which look like flumped custard tarts. God that was stressful.</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:27:29.273Z">8.27pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Much pensive peering into ovens. “Mine are looking pallid” says Michael. “If it was a horse, you’d shoot it”.</p><p>“Shall I get mine out?” asks David. Not now, David, focus on the pies.<br /></p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:26:06.878Z">8.26pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Sarah’s look nice and tidy as they go in the oven, whilst Jameela and David’s both look edible. Michael hasn’t got his lids on yet, and he eggwashes them while they’re in the oven. <br /></p><p>I’ve never seen any of Michael’s films, I hope for his sake he can act.</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:24:31.030Z">8.24pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Fillings are being chopped and mixed. Michael is trying to peel an onion with a potato peeler. Has he really NEVER peeled an onion? </p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:23:21.491Z">8.23pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>“What’s a quail’s egg?”, asks Jameela. I’m enjoying her natural curiosity. It’s like having a toddler all over again.</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:22:51.694Z">8.22pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Michael’s dough is like pancake batter, because he used too much lard. Meanwhile Jameela’s looks like something you’d concrete in fence posts with.<br /></p><p>Nothing about Michael is happy. He’s no chef, that’s for sure.<br /></p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:20:55.871Z">8.20pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Jameela has never even seen a pork pie, which seems unlikely. They’ve also popped a quail’s egg in the middle. Hang on, isn’t that technically a Gala Pie?</p><p>“What even is lard?” asks Jameela. What does it matter? Just bung it in.<br /></p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:18:39.623Z">8.18pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Time for the technical challenge! This week it’s Paul’s recipe for six mini pork pies, made with hot water crust pastry. What could possibly go wrong?</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:17:32.450Z">8.17pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Judging time! David’s are more Eton Mess than shortbread, but apparently they taste delicious despite looking hideous. Jameela’s look lovely, but the pastry is overworked so they’re too dry. Paul is choking. Sarah’s are very neat and tidy, and Mary declares them “smashing”. </p><p>Oh Michael, what a disaster. “I can sort of see the dragon” says Paul, kindly. They have the best flavour of the lot, however.<br /></p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:14:12.075Z">8.14pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Meanwhile Michael’s shortbread looks less like Welsh dragons and more like a horrible mining accident.</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:13:39.910Z">8.13pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Michael’s Welsh dragon icing is pink rather than red. Jameela’s and Sarah’s shortbreads both look good, so they crack on with fillings and piping. David’s strawberry jam is some kind of berry soup, so Sarah gives him some of hers. She’s lovely. Jameela has set fire to her baking parchment.</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:11:59.525Z">8.11pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Sarah talks us through her buttercream. David is struggling to sieve, because he’s stuck too much icing sugar in there and his bowl is too small. <br /></p><p>And now he’s seen a single magpie. One for sorrow, David. You’ll be weeping over your shortbread by teatime.</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:11:30.479Z">8.11pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Michael is worried about cutting out dragons, whilst Sarah is cutting in a competent manner. There is only half an hour left, and one of Michael’s dragon wings has fallen off. He hasn’t even baked them yet.</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:10:04.089Z">8.10pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Michael is making a Welsh dragon shortbread, spiced up with ginger, cloves and cinnamon. Fillings and icing are being made, with mixed results.</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:08:43.928Z">8.08pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Sarah is making red nose shortbreads with vanilla buttercream. They look yummy, and she seems very nice and stable and together. Where’s the fun in that?</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:07:58.943Z">8.07pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Jameela has never handled butter before with her bare hands, which begs the question of what she has handled it with. She’s making orange shortbread, and Mary already knows it’s welded to the worktop. She quietly hands her a palette knife.</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:06:41.642Z">8.06pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Jameela is approaching the mixer like it might bite her, whilst Michael is going for a hand blender, because he’s old skool. You need to put the bowl ON the mixer, Jameela. <br /></p><p>David is wrestling with a sieve. He’s making Victoria sandwich shortbreads, because his wife is called Victoria. See what he did there? </p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:04:32.654Z">8.04pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Signature challenge – 24 identical shortbread with a touch of je ne sais quoi. So not just a shortbread finger, then.</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:03:51.384Z">8.03pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Tonight’s bakers enter the tent. Michael is looking very smart. Sarah is a campaigner for global education, and nobody cares who she’s married to. I am already coveting Jameela’s fabulously glossy hair.</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T20:01:53.875Z">8.01pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>And we’re off! Jo Brand has locked up Mel and Sue so she can eat all the cake. I’d wait until they’ve finished baking first, there’s a good chance most of it will be inedible.</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T19:56:40.658Z">7.56pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>There’s Riverdancing on the One Show. Trouble with riverdancing is that when you’ve seen them dance in one river, you’ve seen them all. They’ve basically been doing the same routine since the Eurovision interval in 1994.</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T19:53:06.183Z">7.53pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>I suspect everyone might be watching the double A-side car crash that is the Brits this evening. Just me then *whistles*</p><p class="block-time published-time"> <time datetime="2015-02-25T19:30:51.399Z">7.30pm <span class="timezone">GMT</span></time> </p><p>Evening all, and welcome to this week’s Great Comic Relief Bake Off liveblog! Last week’s episode gave us rainbow cupcakes from Abbey Clancy, profiteroles-cum-Yorkshire puddings from Jonathan Ross, a spectacular Shard cake from Star Baker Gok Wan and a derelict beach hut from Zoella. This week is all about the charity baking skills of actor Michael Sheen, comedian David Mitchell, Radio 1 DJ Jameela Jamil (ask your kids), and education campaigner and wife-of-Gordon Sarah Brown.</p><p>It’s shortbread, pork pies and palovas this evening, under the beady eye of Jo Brand. I’ll be noting every limp crust and flumped meringue, so feel free to join me by being funny and excellent in the comment box below. Kick off is at 8pm, so I’ll see you then! <br /></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/live/2015/feb/25/the-great-comic-relief-bake-off-2015-episode-three-live-blog">Continue reading...</a>The Great British Bake OffTelevisionTelevision & radioCultureComic ReliefFood & drinkFood TVEntertainmentBBCBakingWed, 25 Feb 2015 20:58:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/live/2015/feb/25/the-great-comic-relief-bake-off-2015-episode-three-live-blogHeidi Stephens2015-02-25T20:58:07ZWolf Hall recap: episode six – a head on the blockhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/25/wolf-hall-recap-episode-six-a-head-on-the-block
<p>Anne refuses to go quietly, and it is Cromwell who must carry out Henry’s dirtiest work yet in this unsettling conclusion to the series</p><p>With Wolf Hall’s final episode, Masters of Phantoms, we have a conclusion in which, as Scott put it <a href="http://www.walterscott.lib.ed.ac.uk/works/novels/waverley.html">at the end of Waverley</a>, nothing is concluded. With this adaptation, of course, there is the added complication that Hilary Mantel <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jan/16/hilary-mantel-new-book-no-thomas-cromwell">has yet to publish The Mirror and The Light</a>, the third part of her great historical romance. One looks forward to it with rather more eagerness than the newly announced <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/24/broadchurch-3-and-other-shows-that-outstayed-their-welcome">third series of Broadchurch</a>.</p><p>Cromwell has, over the years covered by the narrative, become less sympathetic. There is blood on his hands – a bucketful by the end of this episode. But, as ever, he evades any charge of being downright despicable (as, for example, Henry most certainly is). However shredded his scruples may be, Thomas Cromwell remains, in his own peculiar way, scrupulous. </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/26/claire-foy-wolf-hall-perfect-anne-boleyn">Claire Foy: Wolf Hall's perfectly complex Anne Boleyn</a> </p><p>A certain wife can be unmade. But how?</p><p>The future history of England pivots on the lies of a foolish boy</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/25/wolf-hall-recap-episode-six-a-head-on-the-block">Continue reading...</a>Wolf HallTelevisionTelevision & radioCultureWolf HallHistorical dramaDramaWed, 25 Feb 2015 22:00:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/25/wolf-hall-recap-episode-six-a-head-on-the-blockJohn Sutherland2015-02-25T22:00:01ZImmigration Street review: ‘There are no real winners in this tale of Derby Road’http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/24/immigration-street-review-no-real-winners-this-tale-derby-road
An attempt to document the impact of immigration by the makers of Benefits Street descends into mayhem – whatever it says about the UK, it’s not good<p>Derby Road in Southampton is one of the most ethnically diverse streets in Britain. There are Latvians, Somalis, Lithuanians, Jamaicans, Hungarians, Iraqis, Poles, Russians – around 30 nationalities in all. Even a few Brits. In the last&nbsp;census, 17% of the area’s residents described themselves as white British. There also seem to be plenty of non-white British people, second- and third-generation immigrants, such as Rafique, who runs a shop, and whose parents came from Pakistan in the 1950s.</p><p>To be honest, it’s hard to tell who lives on Derby Road – or <strong>Immigration Street</strong>, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/08/immigration-street-channel-4-derby-road-southampton-benefits-street-demonised" title="">as Channel 4 is calling it</a> – because most of them have fuzzed-out heads on television. They’re not keen to be there – on the telly, that is, not on Derby Road. Or Pixelation Street, as I’m calling it. There aren’t many consent forms being signed around here.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/24/immigration-street-review-no-real-winners-this-tale-derby-road">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionTelevision & radioCultureImmigration and asylumUK newsChannel 4Television industryMediaTue, 24 Feb 2015 22:58:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/24/immigration-street-review-no-real-winners-this-tale-derby-roadSam Wollaston2015-02-24T22:58:05ZBroadchurch 3 – and other shows that outstayed their welcomehttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/24/broadchurch-3-and-other-shows-that-outstayed-their-welcome
<p>The ITV crime drama will be back for a third series – despite many viewers feeling that the second one wasn’t a patch on the first. It’s not the first drama that possibly should have bowed out earlier …</p><p>On Monday, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/23/broadchurch-recap-season-two-finale-episode-eight">Broadchurch ended with a big fat full stop</a>. Villains were found and dealt with. Broken relationships began to heal. Miller found peace. Hardy, all his wrongs now righted, could finally depart the town for a new location where it might actually rain for once.</p><p> It wasn’t perfect, but it felt satisfying. And then the ITV announcer decided to spoil it all by revealing that everything would be undone by a third season.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/24/broadchurch-third-series-david-tennant-olivia-colman">Broadchurch to return for third series with David Tennant and Olivia Colman</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/23/broadchurch-recap-season-two-finale-episode-eight">Broadchurch recap: season two finale – episode eight</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/24/broadchurch-3-and-other-shows-that-outstayed-their-welcome">Continue reading...</a>BroadchurchCrime dramaDramaThe Killing24HomelandThe FallTelevisionCultureTelevision & radioUS televisionTue, 24 Feb 2015 10:38:33 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/24/broadchurch-3-and-other-shows-that-outstayed-their-welcomeStuart Heritage2015-02-24T10:38:33ZPaul Whitehouse: the psychopath in mehttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/24/paul-whitehouse-nurse-interview
In his new sitcom, Paul Whitehouse plays multiple mental-health patients – from an agoraphobic to an obese mummy’s boy. He talks to Maureen Paton Maguire about therapy, heart surgery – and why Johnny Depp can get lost<p>As I walk along the corridor,&nbsp;I can hear <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/profile/paul-whitehouse" title="">Paul Whitehouse</a> up ahead, har-harring away inside one of the BBC’s goldfish bowl offices. “Security wouldn’t let me in at first,” he tells me with a filthy guffaw, as we meet. “They didn’t recognise me.” Well, Whitehouse is one&nbsp;of the greatest shape-shifting comedians of his generation, a man so&nbsp;revered by <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/johnnydepp" title="">Johnny Depp</a> that he agreed to guest-star on <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/the-fast-show" title="">The Fast Show</a>.</p><p>“Johnny said I was the finest actor of&nbsp;all time, but that’s a bit silly, isn’t it – how does he know? I recently did a little cameo in a film of his, Through the Looking Glass, and he said, ‘Hey man, I’m going to look after you, make sure you’re OK.’ Never heard from him again. So Mr Depp can piss off!” He roars good-humouredly. “He’s got a&nbsp;new wife, hasn’t he? So I’ve fallen off&nbsp;the radar. But I’ve got his email address, so I’ll get him back.”</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/24/paul-whitehouse-nurse-interview">Continue reading...</a>ComedyTelevisionComedyCultureTue, 24 Feb 2015 18:42:59 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/24/paul-whitehouse-nurse-interviewMaureen Paton Maguire2015-02-24T18:42:59ZNancy Banks-Smith on The Archers: David’s U-turnhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/25/a-month-in-ambridge
David’s decided not to flog the family farm after all. Cue a procession of angry relatives who won’t be cashing in<p>It’s all right. You can come out now. With a U-turn so spectacular it was positively political, David Archer changed his mind about selling the family farm for a mess of pottage. Seven million quid was, I believe, mentioned.</p><p>The move to Northumberland (Awa’ the Archers!) was all set, then David started sighing. Sighs that come up from your big toe and, after hammering ineffectually at your teeth for admission, sink back defeated. At first, he was simply wistful about nesting robins and gathering lilac in the spring, but then he started hearing his dead father’s voice and talking to a cow. “Oh Etty, Etty! You always held your service!” This is the sort of remark that suggests no obvious reply and, indeed, Etty said nothing, but I suspect it had nothing to do with ladies’ tennis.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/25/a-month-in-ambridge">Continue reading...</a>Radio dramaRadioRadio 4CultureWed, 25 Feb 2015 07:00:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/25/a-month-in-ambridgeNancy Banks-Smith2015-02-25T07:00:05ZThe Casual Vacancy, Indian Summers, The World at War and others: TV review – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/feb/24/casual-vacancy-indian-summers-tv-review-video
This week, telly addict <strong>Andrew Collins</strong> risks being caught in the crossfire of the Sunday night TV ratings war between JK Rowling's social satire The Casual Vacancy on BBC1 and its dramatic enemy Indian Summers on C4 at the same time; also, an actual war in a welcome repeat of 70s landmark documentary series The World at War on BBC2; the 30th anniversary live week of EastEnders on BBC1; a documentary about immigrants and benefits that provides food for thought, The Romanians Are Coming on C4; and the triumphant return of Gogglebox on C4 for its fifth series of armchair TV criticism <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/feb/24/casual-vacancy-indian-summers-tv-review-video">Continue reading...</a>Television & radioTue, 24 Feb 2015 10:57:33 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/feb/24/casual-vacancy-indian-summers-tv-review-videoAndrew Collins and Mona Mahmood2015-02-24T10:57:33ZBroadchurch recap: season two finale – episode eighthttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/23/broadchurch-recap-season-two-finale-episode-eight
<p>The acting was first rate, as all the loose ends were finally tied up – although perhaps not as neatly as some would have liked</p><p><em>Spoiler alert: this blog is for people watching <a href="http://preview.gutools.co.uk/tv-and-radio/broadchurch">Broadchurch</a> 2. Don’t read on if you haven’t seen episode eight</em><em>.</em></p><p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/16/broadchurch-recap-season-two-episode-seven-an-uneven-penultimate-episode">Catch up with our episode seven recap</a></p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/24/catastrophe-review-delightfully-blundering">Catastrophe review: a delightfully blundering final episode</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/23/broadchurch-recap-season-two-finale-episode-eight">Continue reading...</a>BroadchurchCrime dramaDramaTelevisionCultureTelevision & radioMon, 23 Feb 2015 21:57:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/23/broadchurch-recap-season-two-finale-episode-eightVicky Frost2015-02-23T21:57:00ZBetter Call Saul recap: season one, episode four – Herohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/24/better-call-saul-recap-season-one-episode-four-hero
<p>We find out the stoner gag behind Saul’s name, and get an early glimpse of his moral bankruptcy as we see an early street hustle – but its Jimmy’s chutzpah that shines through strongest </p><p><strong>Spoiler warning: do not read until you’ve seen the fourth episode of <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/better-call-saul">Better Call Saul</a> on AMC/Netflix</strong></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/24/better-call-saul-recap-season-one-episode-four-hero">Continue reading...</a>Better Call SaulTelevisionUS televisionBreaking BadCultureTelevision & radioTue, 24 Feb 2015 09:29:15 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/24/better-call-saul-recap-season-one-episode-four-heroRichard Vine2015-02-24T09:29:15ZLine of Duty's Lennie James: ‘I was 12 when I was first called the n-word – by a policeman’http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/feb/23/lennie-james-critical-line-of-duty
<p>He got his big break as a bent cop in Line of Duty. As he prepares to play a surgeon in ‘real-time’ drama Critical, Lennie James talks about Ukip, Terry Wogan, being stopped by the police – and his new life in Los Angeles</p><p>‘I’m not into medical dramas,” says Lennie James, relaxing in an old-fashioned Covent Garden drawing room where we’re meeting to talk about, well, his brand new medical drama. “<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/oct/06/your-next-box-set-er">ER</a>,” he says, “had about 10 episodes where you’d go, ‘Do you remember that ER when ...’” But, in the main, he finds them boring.</p><p>Me too, I want to say, but it seems a bit off, given that he has just spent almost a year away from home, to play smouldering Dr Glen Boyle, the trauma consultant star of Sky 1’s new series Critical. Plus, as James points out, this show is far from standard: it plays out in real time. Which is to say that its creator <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/feb/09/line-of-duty-jed-mercurio">Jed Mercurio</a> (the former doctor who was Bafta-nominated for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaKn9-9uWHc">Line of Duty</a>) has constructed 13 episodes where the cast have one hour to save one life. “If a procedure takes 12 minutes, we would take 12 minutes to shoot it,” says James. “If a drug takes 30 seconds to take effect, we would wait that 30 seconds.”</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/23/medical-drama-flatlining-can-be-revived">Can Jed Mercurio's Critical revive the medical drama?</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/feb/23/lennie-james-critical-line-of-duty">Continue reading...</a>Lennie JamesTelevisionCultureTelevision & radioDramaCrime dramaRace issuesWorld newsSocietyLine of DutyMon, 23 Feb 2015 18:12:15 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/feb/23/lennie-james-critical-line-of-dutyNosheen Iqbal2015-02-23T18:12:15ZLack of working class actors is changing what gets made, says Jimmy McGovernhttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/feb/24/posh-actors-working-class-drama-jimmy-mcgovern
<p>Screenwriter famous for gritty dramas says he struggles to find working-class actors to play parts in his series because only posh people can afford the training</p><p>The screenwriter Jimmy McGovern has added his voice to the class debate within the entertainment industry, saying that he struggles to find actors who can play working-class roles. </p><p>“I’m constantly looking round for actors who can convincingly portray working-class men,” said McGovern. “They’re getting fewer and fewer because it’s only the posh ones who can afford to go into acting.”<br /></p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/jan/24/julie-walters-people-like-me-wouldnt-get-a-chance-today">Julie Walters: ‘People like me wouldn't get a chance today'</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/jan/19/james-blunt-letter-chris-bryant-paranoid-wazzock">James Blunt's letter to Chris Bryant makes him appear a paranoid wazzock</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/feb/24/posh-actors-working-class-drama-jimmy-mcgovern">Continue reading...</a>Television industryJulie WaltersJames BluntMediaDramaTelevisionSocietyTue, 24 Feb 2015 06:01:10 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/feb/24/posh-actors-working-class-drama-jimmy-mcgovernKevin Rawlinson2015-02-24T06:01:10ZMary Portas: Secret Shopper is a tear-jerking masterclasshttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/24/mary-portas-secret-shopper
<p>‘With a power bob, steely benevolence and some real talk, Mary Portas has marketed herself as the relatable face of capitalist dystopia’</p><p>Occasionally, a TV programme sneaks on to the schedule and so easily settles into the cultural climate it’s clear that in years to come, episodes will be studied for their historic value. You don’t need me to tell you that Snog, Marry, Avoid is one obvious example. Come Dine With Me is another. Now I tentatively suggest that all Mary Portas ventures are added to the archive. Mary Portas is a woman who knows what works, and sticks to it. Namely, gliding into poorly performing stores, focusing her laser vision on messy rails and herding gorm-depleted business owners towards retail modernity.</p><p><strong>Mary Portas: Secret Shopper</strong> <em>(Tuesday, 8pm, Channel 4)</em> – ie The One Where She Rhapsodises About Customer Service – follows a familiar formula, but with the scintillating addition of secret cameras. Keshu, owner of Hallmark Food Store, is a kind man, having taken Dean under his wing when he was kicked out of school aged 14. Now 30, Dean has risen up the ranks to supervisor of the shop in Burnham, near Slough. Keshu, I strongly feel, should be letting his hair down and getting fat on the spoils of retirement. Instead, he’s in the storeroom of his mini-market, dreams crumbling as he watches CCTV footage of Dean swanning about saying things like, “That Keshu’s a cheeky bitch; a man’s not allowed to be 25 minutes late?!” in front of horrified grannies. Meanwhile, the staff Dean are supposed to be supervising run amok with trolleys, let produce rot on the shelves, and stage small-scale food fights.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/24/mary-portas-secret-shopper">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionTelevision & radioCultureMary PortasTue, 24 Feb 2015 09:00:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/24/mary-portas-secret-shopperFilipa Jodelka2015-02-24T09:00:03ZSaturday Night Live to be adapted for Chinese televisionhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/03/saturday-night-live-adapted-chinese-television
<p>China follows in Brazil and Japan’s footsteps with plan to adapt classic sketch comedy show after internet company Sohu reaches deal </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/03/saturday-night-live-adapted-chinese-television">Continue reading...</a>US televisionChinaComedyComedyCultureTelevisionAsia PacificTelevision & radioTue, 03 Mar 2015 16:54:51 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/03/saturday-night-live-adapted-chinese-televisionAmanda Holpuch in New York2015-03-03T16:54:51ZRuPaul's Drag Race recap: season seven, episode one – the devil wears nadahttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/03/rupauls-drag-race-recap-season-seven-episode-one-the-devil-wears-nada
<p>It’s age versus beauty as the queens throw shade in nude body stockings, with ‘glamour toad’ Ginger Minj and the icepick-tongued Katya early favourites</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/03/rupauls-drag-race-recap-season-seven-episode-one-the-devil-wears-nada">Continue reading...</a>US televisionReality TVTelevisionCultureTelevision & radioTue, 03 Mar 2015 15:26:26 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/03/rupauls-drag-race-recap-season-seven-episode-one-the-devil-wears-nadaMegan Carpentier and Dominic Rushe2015-03-03T15:26:26ZRussell Tovey says sorry for effeminate actor commentshttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/03/russell-tovey-sorry-effeminate-actor-drama-school
<p>Actor widely criticised for saying he was lucky he hadn’t gone to the kind of drama school that would lead him to ‘prance around’</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/03/russell-tovey-sorry-effeminate-actor-drama-school">Continue reading...</a>Russell ToveyTheatreLGBT rightsUK newsTue, 03 Mar 2015 09:36:08 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/03/russell-tovey-sorry-effeminate-actor-drama-schoolMatthew Weaver2015-03-03T09:36:08ZTuesday’s best TVhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/03/tuesdays-best-tv
Natural World’s footage of owls is a treat for owlheads everywhere. Meantime, Jon Snow is getting stoned again on Channel 4 as part of the investigation into the drug and its dangers. And Jed Mercurio’s medical drama Critical goes from strength to strength <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/03/tuesdays-best-tv">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionTelevision & radioCultureTue, 03 Mar 2015 06:59:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/03/tuesdays-best-tvJohn Robinson, Ben Arnold, Hannah Verdier, Jack Seale, Andrew Mueller2015-03-03T06:59:09ZRuPaul’s Drag Race: New season of America's best reality show kicks offhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/rupaul-drag-race-new-season-logo-reality-show
<p>Call the drag queen contest the gay community’s equivalent of football: everyone watches it, there are different teams to root for, and it brings people together</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/rupaul-drag-race-new-season-logo-reality-show">Continue reading...</a>Reality TVUS televisionTelevisionCultureTelevision & radioMon, 02 Mar 2015 18:01:39 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/rupaul-drag-race-new-season-logo-reality-showBrian Moylan2015-03-02T18:01:39ZThe Walking Dead season five episode 12: Remember – recaphttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/the-walking-dead-recap-season-five-episode-12-remember
<p>Rick and his crew return to the civilisation of Alexandria, but have been so damaged by their experiences that they can no longer fit in</p><p><em>Spoiler alert: this blog is published after The Walking Dead airs on AMC in the US on Sundays. Do not read on unless you have watched season five, episode 12 (which airs in the UK on Fox on Mondays)</em></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/the-walking-dead-recap-season-five-episode-12-remember">Continue reading...</a>The Walking DeadUS televisionDramaTelevisionCultureTelevision & radioZombiesMon, 02 Mar 2015 14:57:19 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/the-walking-dead-recap-season-five-episode-12-rememberBrian Moylan2015-03-02T14:57:19ZHouse of Cards recap: season three, episodes 11, 12 and 13 – are the Underwoods undone?http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/mar/02/house-of-cards-recap-season-three-episodes-11-12-and-13-are-the-underwoods-undone
<p>As one season closes, another is dangled teasingly in front of us. Frank is alone, Doug has done his foulest deed yet and the Democratic primary is hotting up</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/mar/02/house-of-cards-recap-season-three-episodes-11-12-and-13-are-the-underwoods-undone">Continue reading...</a>House of CardsDramaTelevisionCultureTelevision & radioUS televisionMon, 02 Mar 2015 10:08:42 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/mar/02/house-of-cards-recap-season-three-episodes-11-12-and-13-are-the-underwoods-undoneStuart Jeffries2015-03-02T10:08:42ZTroy’s favourite TVhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/troy-von-scheibner-favourite-tv
<p>Street magician Troy von Scheibner on guilty pleasure New Girl and how he’s saving Game Of Thrones for retirement</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/troy-von-scheibner-favourite-tv">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionTelevision & radioCultureMon, 02 Mar 2015 09:00:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/troy-von-scheibner-favourite-tvLouis Pattison2015-03-02T09:00:09ZHouse of Cards review: The best character on TV is backhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/house-cards-review-best-character-tv-back-francis-underwood
Francis Underwood is now the most powerful politician in the world, and he’s doing his best to make sure he keeps the job – however difficult that proves <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/house-cards-review-best-character-tv-back-francis-underwood">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionTelevision & radioCultureHouse of CardsDramaUS televisionKevin SpaceyNetflixMon, 02 Mar 2015 07:00:13 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/house-cards-review-best-character-tv-back-francis-underwoodSam Wollaston2015-03-02T07:00:13ZMonday’s best TVhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/mondays-best-tv-panorama-rick-stein-conan-doyle-climate-change
Fergal Keane explores voters’ basic ambitions and desires in Panorama, Rick Stein cooks up wallaby down under, Martin Clunes takes on Conan Doyle and a trio of mathematicians try to get to the root of climate change <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/mondays-best-tv-panorama-rick-stein-conan-doyle-climate-change">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionTelevision & radioCultureRick SteinChefsArthur Conan DoyleClimate changeClimate changeMon, 02 Mar 2015 06:00:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/mondays-best-tv-panorama-rick-stein-conan-doyle-climate-changeAndrew Mueller, Hannah Verdier, Jack Seale, Jonathan Wright, Graeme Virtue, Ben Arnold and Rachel Aroesti2015-03-02T06:00:05ZIf You Are The One: feeding bachelors to the lions on China's top dating showhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/if-you-are-the-one-feeding-bachelors-to-the-lions-on-chinas-top-dating-show
<p>Batting off accusations of sexism and materialism, the Chinese cross between The Bachelor and Shark Tank persists with its dating bloodbath</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/if-you-are-the-one-feeding-bachelors-to-the-lions-on-chinas-top-dating-show">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionCultureTelevision & radioDatingChinaEntertainmentMon, 02 Mar 2015 02:28:37 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/02/if-you-are-the-one-feeding-bachelors-to-the-lions-on-chinas-top-dating-showJazz Twemlow2015-03-02T02:28:37ZRussell Tovey: ‘I was a scared, skinny little rat. Then I hit the gym…’http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/01/russell-tovey-looking-banished-interview
It took the Essex actor a decade to fully regain his confidence after falling victim to a knife attack at 18. And a decade, too, to be comfortable portraying his own sexuality on stage and screen. Now the former History Boy is going from strength to strength <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/01/russell-tovey-looking-banished-interview">Continue reading...</a>Russell ToveyTelevisionFilmTheatreCultureSun, 01 Mar 2015 08:00:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/01/russell-tovey-looking-banished-interviewTom Lamont2015-03-01T08:00:09ZCatch-up TV guide: from The Internet’s Own Boy to Meet The Ukippers/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/28/catch-up-tv-guide
<p>From the tragic story of Aaron Schwarz to the tragicomic tale of Thanet’s Ukip activists</p><p>This stirring and, eventually, heartbreaking film is the pick of the most recent run of Storyville documentaries. It tells the story of Aaron Swartz: internet prodigy, online freedom fighter and, ultimately, martyr to a legal system without the means, will or imagination to reckon with the paradigm shifts of the information age. Available until 4 March.</p> <a href="/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/28/catch-up-tv-guide">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionTelevision & radioCultureFri, 28 Nov 2014 15:42:56 GMT/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/28/catch-up-tv-guideIssy Budd & Phil Harrison2014-11-28T15:42:56ZNew TV and film to stream on Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video in January/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/jan/01/new-tv-film-netflix-amazon-prime-instant-video-january
<p>Catch up on Educating Yorkshire and the last season of Sons of Anarchy on Netflix, while 12 Years a Slave and season five of Mad Men join Amazon Prime</p><p><strong>TV</strong><br /></p> <a href="/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/jan/01/new-tv-film-netflix-amazon-prime-instant-video-january">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionTelevision & radioCultureNetflixAmazon Prime Instant VideoMon, 01 Dec 2014 12:01:05 GMT/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/jan/01/new-tv-film-netflix-amazon-prime-instant-video-januaryGuardian TV2014-12-01T12:01:05ZLooking recap, episode eight: looking at a naked Russell Tovey/tv-and-radio/2014/mar/09/looking-recap-episode-eight-russell-tovey-chicken
<p><b>Spoiler alert:</b> this post discusses episode eight of Looking, which aired on Sunday on HBO in the US and airs on Monday on Sky Atlantic in the UK. It also contains adult themes and language … all used with gay abandon</p><p>Each week, we discuss HBO’s groundbreaking gay drama with a guest commentator. This week, we speak to Looking blog regular <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/profile/feilding-cage">Feilding Cage, Guardian interactive journalist</a> and the award winning creator of the Guardian’s interactive guide to <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2012/may/08/gay-rights-united-states">gay rights in the US</a> …</p> <a href="/tv-and-radio/2014/mar/09/looking-recap-episode-eight-russell-tovey-chicken">Continue reading...</a>LookingRussell ToveyUS televisionTelevision & radioTelevisionSexualitySocietySun, 01 Mar 2015 14:03:47 GMT/tv-and-radio/2014/mar/09/looking-recap-episode-eight-russell-tovey-chickenDominic Rushe2015-03-01T14:03:47ZSpiral recap: season five, episodes 11 and 12 – a resolution, of sorts/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/14/spiral-recap-season-five-episodes-11-and-12-a-resolution-of-sorts
<p>There were plenty of thrills to end this season of the French drama – with Laure, Gilou, Joséphine and Roban ending the series in unexpected places<br></p><p><em>Spoiler alert: This blog contains spoilers for season five, episodes 11 and 12 of <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/spiral">Spiral</a>.</em></p><p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/07/spiral-recap-season-five-episodes-nine-and-10-an-unusually-violent-week">Catch up with the previous episode blog</a><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2013/mar/16/spiral-state-terror-series-four-episodes-11-12"><br /></a></p> <a href="/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/14/spiral-recap-season-five-episodes-11-and-12-a-resolution-of-sorts">Continue reading...</a>SpiralDramaTelevisionCultureTelevision & radioMon, 12 Jan 2015 15:38:03 GMT/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/14/spiral-recap-season-five-episodes-11-and-12-a-resolution-of-sortsVicky Frost2015-01-12T15:38:03ZHomeland recap: season four, episode 12 – Long Time Coming/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/dec/28/homeland-recap-season-four-episode-12-finale-long-time-coming
<p>Whether you enjoyed this finale episode depends on what you expect from Homeland – but it was, without question, the best season since it began</p><p>Whether you felt satisfied with Long Time Coming will depend on what you wanted from a season finale of Homeland. If you expected the pyrotechnics of the past three seasons – assassination attempts, bombings, impromptu crane-based executions – well, you’re likely to be very disappointed indeed. But if you were just happy with something that provided some sort of emotional resolution while setting the show up for its fifth season, this did the job adequately enough. I’m just about in the latter camp, though with some reservations. Ultimately, Long Time Coming didn’t match its predecessors’ big finishes, but nor did it need to, given the trio of action-heavy episodes that preceded it. Instead, what we got was a brooding blue note, languidly (and at times soporifically) paced but still seismic in its implications for the series in the future. </p> <a href="/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/dec/28/homeland-recap-season-four-episode-12-finale-long-time-coming">Continue reading...</a>HomelandDramaTelevisionCultureTelevision & radioUS televisionThu, 27 Nov 2014 19:52:29 GMT/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/dec/28/homeland-recap-season-four-episode-12-finale-long-time-comingGwilym Mumford2014-11-27T19:52:29ZThe Fall recap: season two, episode six – an infuriating cop-out of an ending/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/dec/18/the-fall-recap-season-two-episode-six-finale
<p>After all the tension, too many questions were left unanswered and those that were seemed contrived to leave the viewer hanging – and the possibility of another series</p><p>The finale in so many ways summed up season two of The Fall: moments of promise buried in a massive heap of storylines either too contrived to be believable, or introduced only to be discarded later. And while season two has largely failed to repeat the successes of The Fall’s first, much-acclaimed run, it very much replicated the disappointment of the first series’s finale – refusing to come to satisfactory conclusions in its desperation to leave the door open for a return to screen. It’s so infuriating for the viewer: if you’ve invested six-plus hours in watching a drama, the very least it can do is not leave you hanging for a year. (Or indeed, a great deal longer – despite Anderson saying she hopes there will be a third season, there’s been no announcement about a recommission.)<br /></p><p>And so we’re left with three characters clinging on to life: Rose Stagg, Paul Spector and Tom Anderson, while Katie’s fate is undecided. That seems pretty cynical storylining to me, but also undermines the idea that writer/director Alan Cubitt has taken great care to ensure the female victims in his story are not reduced to unnamed, disposable bodies. Rose’s torture and horror were used here purely as a plot device to allow that final cliffhanger – to give Spector his last powerplay and allow Jimmy to find him in the woods – which seems just as gratuitous to me. There was nothing in this finale that was about Rose: she existed only to allow us to find out more about Gibson and Spector (her guilt, his desire to reassure his daughter); even Rose’s discovery (and possible recovery) were immediately upstaged by Spector’s shooting.</p> <a href="/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/dec/18/the-fall-recap-season-two-episode-six-finale">Continue reading...</a>The FallTelevisionTelevision & radioCultureDramaCrime dramaGillian AndersonThu, 27 Nov 2014 19:52:29 GMT/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/dec/18/the-fall-recap-season-two-episode-six-finaleVicky Frost2014-11-27T19:52:29ZDoctor Who recap: Last Christmas/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/dec/25/doctor-who-recap-last-christmas
<p>After last year’s overblown special, this one played to the show’s claustrophobic strengths – and was probably the most Christmassy Christmas special they’ve ever done</p><p>Merry Christmas! And how about that: probably the only story that will ever be told in which “and I woke up and it was all a dream” was not a lazy get-out but a miraculous fist-pump of a happy ending.</p> <a href="/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/dec/25/doctor-who-recap-last-christmas">Continue reading...</a>Doctor WhoTelevision & radioTelevisionFantasyCultureThu, 27 Nov 2014 19:52:29 GMT/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/dec/25/doctor-who-recap-last-christmasDan Martin2014-11-27T19:52:29ZDownton Abbey Christmas special recap – it worked as retro festive wallpaper/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/dec/25/downton-abbey-christmas-special-recap-it-worked-as-retro-festive-wallpaper
<p>Beautifully shot and wonderfully acted, yet all a bit too overcomplicated and drawn out. It must be the Downton Christmas special!</p><p>The labrador’s backside is back for Christmas. And let’s hope it’s not just for Christmas, eh? Actually, my Christmas wish would be that it is just for Christmas. Because if this convoluted outing proved anything, it’s that this series has outstayed its welcome. Unlike Isis the dog, whose absence in this Christmas special finally disproved the conspiracy theory that she was just absent from the last episode to tease us. Sorry, people, but Isis really is dead.</p><p>As always this was a beautifully made and wonderfully acted confection showcasing all the shortcomings of the Downton Abbey brand. In the opening sequences, it felt as if the actors had been directed to speak the dialogue slowly and carefully in order to help viewers a) worse for the cooking sherry and b) unfamiliar with Downton (as probably many Christmas-only viewers were – lucky them). There was a lot of signposting of characters and history, which only served to flag up that there are often far too many people involved and far too many things going on.</p> <a href="/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/dec/25/downton-abbey-christmas-special-recap-it-worked-as-retro-festive-wallpaper">Continue reading...</a>Downton AbbeyTelevision & radioPeriod dramaDramaCultureTelevisionThu, 27 Nov 2014 19:52:29 GMT/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/dec/25/downton-abbey-christmas-special-recap-it-worked-as-retro-festive-wallpaperViv Groskop2014-11-27T19:52:29ZPeaky Blinders recap: series two, episode six – what a finale!/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/nov/06/peaky-blinders-recap-series-two-episode-six-what-a-finale
<p>Packed with revelations, this was Peaky Blinders at its best – a gut-wrenching and beautifully directed climax</p><p>What. A. Finale. I’ve really enjoyed this season, bloodthirsty though it has been, and this was a fitting end, a nail-biting, action-packed hour of tension that had me screaming at the screen more than once as Tommy Shelby’s long-promised Derby day of reckoning finally arrived.<br /></p><p>And what a day it was, packed with revelations (Alfie is double-crossing Sabini! Grace is pregnant! May is definitely not to be messed with!) and filled with casualties both deserved (goodbye Major Campbell, may your red right hand guide you to hell) and tragic (oh, Lizzy, it’ll be a long, cold day before I forgive Tommy for using you in this way). The odd clunky moment apart – I may stand alone but the scene when Grace revealed her pregnancy left me cold – this was Peaky Blinders at its best, a gut-wrenching and beautifully directed climax, which was not always easy to watch but which left me, like May a few weeks ago, exhausted but begging for more. </p> <a href="/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/nov/06/peaky-blinders-recap-series-two-episode-six-what-a-finale">Continue reading...</a>Peaky BlindersTelevisionTelevision & radioCultureDramaPeriod dramaBBC2Thu, 27 Nov 2014 19:52:29 GMT/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/nov/06/peaky-blinders-recap-series-two-episode-six-what-a-finaleSarah Hughes2014-11-27T19:52:29ZThe week in radio: Listomania; Trodd en Bratt Say ‘Well Done You’; Oscars special podcast; Nick Ferrarihttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/01/listomania-trodd-en-bratt-oscars-podcast-nick-ferrari-natalie-bennett
Madonna and Natalie Bennett may have tripped up badly, but this was a good week for intentionally funny female performers <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/01/listomania-trodd-en-bratt-oscars-podcast-nick-ferrari-natalie-bennett">Continue reading...</a>RadioTelevision & radioCultureMadonnaNatalie BennettJudi DenchNick CleggCatherine TateSun, 01 Mar 2015 07:00:12 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/01/listomania-trodd-en-bratt-oscars-podcast-nick-ferrari-natalie-bennettMiranda Sawyer2015-03-01T07:00:12ZIt’s the return of House of Cards – but where can Frank go now?http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/01/house-cards-third-series-kevin-spacey-netflix-review
At last, the third series of the US version of this intelligent political exposé is out on Netflix <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/01/house-cards-third-series-kevin-spacey-netflix-review">Continue reading...</a>House of CardsTelevisionDramaUS televisionKevin SpaceyCultureNetflixTelevision & radioMediaSun, 01 Mar 2015 00:03:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/01/house-cards-third-series-kevin-spacey-netflix-reviewEuan Ferguson, Observer TV critic2015-03-01T00:03:03ZHouse of Cards recap: season three, episodes five, six and seven – is Frank losing the plot?http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/28/house-cards-recap-episodes-five-six-seven-frank-losing-plot
<p>Even by the standards of the first two series, the president’s scheming is baffling. At least he has made up with Mrs U after her own plotting left him red-faced</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/28/house-cards-recap-episodes-five-six-seven-frank-losing-plot">Continue reading...</a>House of CardsTelevision & radioDramaUS televisionTelevisionCultureSat, 28 Feb 2015 14:00:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/28/house-cards-recap-episodes-five-six-seven-frank-losing-plotStuart Jeffries2015-02-28T14:00:02ZBritain’s Supermarket Revolution review: “We’re beginning to shop around, shop smaller, shop more smartly”http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/28/britains-supermarket-revolution-review
The days of the Big Shop and the big shop are numbered – and it’s thanks to the web and the Germans <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/28/britains-supermarket-revolution-review">Continue reading...</a>CultureSupermarketsRetail industryAsdaTescoSat, 28 Feb 2015 08:00:14 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/28/britains-supermarket-revolution-reviewSam Wollaston2015-02-28T08:00:14ZHow to Get Away with Murder review – a shock sets up season twohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/27/how-to-get-away-with-review-season-finale
<p>The season’s second biggest hit goes out with a bang, revealing one killer and making us guess at another – but also revealing its structural flaws</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/27/how-to-get-away-with-review-season-finale">Continue reading...</a>US televisionTelevisionCultureTelevision & radioDramaFri, 27 Feb 2015 14:30:51 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/27/how-to-get-away-with-review-season-finaleBrian Moylan2015-02-27T14:30:51ZHouse of Cards recap: episodes two, three and four – Frank speaks to Godhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/27/house-of-cards-recap-episodes-two-three-and-four-frank-speaks-to-god
<p>Frank lies to the American people, forges an unlikely alliance and meets a woman who might be his undoing. More Machiavellian machinations with the Incredible Scheming Underwoods – the Neil and Christine Hamilton of Washington?</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/27/house-of-cards-recap-episodes-two-three-and-four-frank-speaks-to-god">Continue reading...</a>House of CardsDramaTelevisionCultureTelevision & radioUS televisionFri, 27 Feb 2015 14:00:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/27/house-of-cards-recap-episodes-two-three-and-four-frank-speaks-to-godStuart Jeffries2015-02-27T14:00:01ZParks and Recreation review – a perfectly pitched finalehttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/25/parks-and-recreation-finale-perfectly-pitched
<p>While many shows have tried to confound fans’ expectations, the final episode, which showed the characters’ futures, played to sweet and uncynical type</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/25/parks-and-recreation-finale-perfectly-pitched">Continue reading...</a>Parks and RecreationUS televisionTelevisionCultureTelevision & radioWed, 25 Feb 2015 14:12:46 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/25/parks-and-recreation-finale-perfectly-pitchedBrian Moylan2015-02-25T14:12:46ZMel Brooks and Alan Yentob: a surprise BBC Radio 4 Today double acthttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/03/mel-brooks-alan-yentob-bbc-radio-4-today
<p>Today programme jolts suddenly from a serious discussion on ‘Jihadi John’ into the BBC creative director’s interview with the US comedy legend</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/03/mel-brooks-alan-yentob-bbc-radio-4-today">Continue reading...</a>Radio 4BBCRadio industryAlan YentobMediaRadioTelevision & radioCultureComedyComedyFilmUK newsTue, 03 Mar 2015 12:58:31 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/03/mel-brooks-alan-yentob-bbc-radio-4-todayMonkey2015-03-03T12:58:31ZNetflix Australia to launch on 24 March with House of Cardshttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/03/netflix-australia-launch-24-march-house-of-cards-frozen-new-zealand-china
<p>Streaming service also confirms rollout date in New Zealand, as it says it is likely to enter the Chinese market without a local partner</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/03/netflix-australia-launch-24-march-house-of-cards-frozen-new-zealand-china">Continue reading...</a>NetflixOnline TVTelevision industryDigital mediaMediaInternetAustralia newsNew ZealandChinaTue, 03 Mar 2015 10:35:56 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/03/netflix-australia-launch-24-march-house-of-cards-frozen-new-zealand-chinaDugald Baird and agencies2015-03-03T10:35:56ZEddie Redmayne invited to cameo on Neighbours after praising stars of showhttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/03/eddie-redmayne-cameo-neighbours-karl-susan-kennedy
<p>Oscar winner calls actors who play Karl and Susan Kennedy ‘the greatest unsung acting duo in history’</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/03/eddie-redmayne-cameo-neighbours-karl-susan-kennedy">Continue reading...</a>Eddie RedmayneFilmTelevisionCultureNeighboursOscars 2015Soap operaTelevision & radioDramaTue, 03 Mar 2015 10:00:14 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/03/eddie-redmayne-cameo-neighbours-karl-susan-kennedyBenjamin Lee2015-03-03T10:00:14ZWestboro Baptist Church's attempts to protest at Leonard Nimoy funeral thwarted by inability to find ithttp://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/mar/03/leonard-nimoy-funeral-westboro-baptist-church
<p>Unaffiliated Christian group failed to find church where service to commemorate the life of Star Trek star was being held<br></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/mar/03/leonard-nimoy-funeral-westboro-baptist-church">Continue reading...</a>Leonard NimoyFilmCultureTelevisionStar TrekWilliam ShatnerTelevision & radioUS televisionReligionTue, 03 Mar 2015 08:34:13 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/mar/03/leonard-nimoy-funeral-westboro-baptist-churchBen Child2015-03-03T08:34:13ZFox News forced to backtrack again over Bill O'Reilly's reporting claimshttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/02/fox-news-bill-o-reilly-reports
<p>Channel admits O’Reilly did not witness bombings in Northern Ireland or murders in El Salvador in wake of questions over TV host’s reporting experiences</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/02/fox-news-bill-o-reilly-reports">Continue reading...</a>Fox News21st Century FoxFoxTV newsTelevision industryUS television industryMon, 02 Mar 2015 16:51:18 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/02/fox-news-bill-o-reilly-reportsAlan Yuhas2015-03-02T16:51:18ZBBC licence fee good for at least another decade, says director generalhttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/02/bbc-licence-fee-10-years-director-general-tony-hall
<p>Tony Hall welcomes MPs’ report on the corporation, even supporting the idea of a proposed household levy</p><p><br><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/speeches/2015/tony-hall-bbc-internet-era">Read Tony Hall’s speech in full</a><br></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/02/bbc-licence-fee-10-years-director-general-tony-hall">Continue reading...</a>BBCTony HallBBC licence feeTelevision industryMediaUK newsPoliticsMon, 02 Mar 2015 12:45:16 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/02/bbc-licence-fee-10-years-director-general-tony-hallJane Martinson2015-03-02T12:45:16ZNick Offerman to take lead in stage version of A Confederacy of Dunceshttp://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/mar/02/nick-offerman-stage-version-a-confederacy-of-dunces
<p>The Parks and Recreation actor and woodworking enthusiast is to take on one of US fiction’s most well-loved comic creations</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/mar/02/nick-offerman-stage-version-a-confederacy-of-dunces">Continue reading...</a>StageUS theaterBooksCultureFilmTelevisionTelevision & radioParks and RecreationMon, 02 Mar 2015 12:17:29 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/mar/02/nick-offerman-stage-version-a-confederacy-of-duncesBen Beaumont-Thomas2015-03-02T12:17:29ZTwitch now live streaming online poker matches alongside other gameshttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/mar/02/twitch-live-streaming-online-poker
<p>Amazon subsidiary streamed 56m minutes of poker to its 100m monthly viewers in January, setting its sights on gambling market</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/mar/02/twitch-live-streaming-online-poker">Continue reading...</a>TwitchAmazon.comPokerTechnologyDigital mediaInternetTelevisionTelevision industryMediaMon, 02 Mar 2015 11:58:23 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/mar/02/twitch-live-streaming-online-pokerStuart Dredge2015-03-02T11:58:23ZBBC should face criminal action over Rwanda documentary, says inquiryhttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/02/bbc-rwanda-documentary-inquiry
<p>Rwandan committee claims it has ‘serious evidence of criminal offences’ relating to a controversial film that questioned official accounts of the 1994 genocide</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/02/bbc-rwanda-documentary-inquiry">Continue reading...</a>BBCTelevision industryBBC World ServicePress freedomMediaRwandaAfricaUK newsMon, 02 Mar 2015 11:45:08 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/02/bbc-rwanda-documentary-inquiryDugald Baird2015-03-02T11:45:08ZRussia Today faces inquiry over anti-western comments in Ukraine debatehttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/02/russia-today-anti-western-ukraine-crosstalk-kremlin
<p>Media regulator to launch investigation into views expressed during Crosstalk programme on Kremlin-backed broadcaster </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/02/russia-today-anti-western-ukraine-crosstalk-kremlin">Continue reading...</a>Russia TodayTelevision industryOfcomMediaMon, 02 Mar 2015 11:07:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/02/russia-today-anti-western-ukraine-crosstalk-kremlinJohn Plunkett2015-03-02T11:07:04ZYouTube's top 100 channels have more than doubled their views in a yearhttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/mar/02/youtube-top-100-channels-funtoys-pewdiepie-taylor-swift-doubled-views
<p>With 517.3m monthly views, unboxing channel Funtoys Collector is now bigger than second-placed PewDiePie – and Taylor Swift hasn’t done badly either</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/mar/02/youtube-top-100-channels-funtoys-pewdiepie-taylor-swift-doubled-views">Continue reading...</a>YouTubeTechnologyGoogleDigital mediaTelevisionMediaCultureTelevision industryTelevision & radioTaylor SwiftMon, 02 Mar 2015 09:08:21 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/mar/02/youtube-top-100-channels-funtoys-pewdiepie-taylor-swift-doubled-viewsStuart Dredge2015-03-02T09:08:21ZTony Hall: BBC needs political and financial backing to survive in digital agehttp://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/02/tony-hall-bbc-political-financial-backing-survive-digital-age
<p>In a speech on the corporation’s future, director general will say the BBC can either continue as standard bearer or sleep-walk into decay </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/02/tony-hall-bbc-political-financial-backing-survive-digital-age">Continue reading...</a>BBCMediaUK newsTelevision industryTelevision & radioCultureTony HallBBC licence feeMon, 02 Mar 2015 00:01:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/02/tony-hall-bbc-political-financial-backing-survive-digital-ageJane Martinson2015-03-02T00:01:09ZUkip rails against BBC's Great European Disaster Moviehttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/01/ukip-rails-against-bbcs-great-european-disaster-movie
<p>BBC denies Ukip claims that European Union provided money for the film in which Nigel Farage is the prime minister of ‘Great England’</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/01/ukip-rails-against-bbcs-great-european-disaster-movie">Continue reading...</a>UK Independence party (Ukip)Nigel FarageEuropean UnionBBCBBC4Factual TVPoliticsMediaEuropePolitics TVTelevisionTelevision & radioTelevision industryUK newsSun, 01 Mar 2015 22:57:51 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/01/ukip-rails-against-bbcs-great-european-disaster-moviePress Association2015-03-01T22:57:51ZBBC News trumpets its exclusive reveal on Jihadi John – or was it?http://www.theguardian.com/media/mediamonkeyblog/2015/mar/01/bbc-news-jihadi-john-exclusive-lucy-manning
Sky’s Adam Boulton sarcastically compliments former ITV reporter Lucy Manning on Washington Post story <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/mediamonkeyblog/2015/mar/01/bbc-news-jihadi-john-exclusive-lucy-manning">Continue reading...</a>BBCMediaTV newsTelevision industryUK newsMohammed EmwaziSun, 01 Mar 2015 18:34:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/media/mediamonkeyblog/2015/mar/01/bbc-news-jihadi-john-exclusive-lucy-manningMonkey2015-03-01T18:34:03ZMedia Monkey: Aidan Turner, Benedict Cumberbatch and Newsnighthttp://www.theguardian.com/media/mediamonkeyblog/2015/mar/01/aidan-turner-benedict-cumberbatch-newsnight
Poldark star in spray tan mystery, Poldark’s child is fired and the curse of the Radio Times strikes again <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/mediamonkeyblog/2015/mar/01/aidan-turner-benedict-cumberbatch-newsnight">Continue reading...</a>Television industryMediaBenedict CumberbatchCultureUK newsBBCRadio TimesSun, 01 Mar 2015 18:06:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/media/mediamonkeyblog/2015/mar/01/aidan-turner-benedict-cumberbatch-newsnightMonkey2015-03-01T18:06:02ZBBC politics editor Nick Robinson to undergo lung surgeryhttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/feb/28/nick-robinson-bbc-lung-cancer-surgery-politics
<p>The veteran broadcaster hopes to be fit to cover May general election after operation to remove tumour</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/feb/28/nick-robinson-bbc-lung-cancer-surgery-politics">Continue reading...</a>Nick RobinsonBBCLung cancerPoliticsMediaGeneral election 2015Television industryUK newsSat, 28 Feb 2015 23:30:44 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/feb/28/nick-robinson-bbc-lung-cancer-surgery-politicsLin Jenkins2015-02-28T23:30:44ZIn Shimla, the city of Indian Summers, the Raj’s colonial legacy lives onhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/28/shimla-indian-summers-raj-colonial-legacy-lives-on
The TV period drama portrays the deep divides of the 1930s. And the wealth gap in Shimla endures as India’s middle-class honeymooners take the narrow-gauge train from the plains <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/28/shimla-indian-summers-raj-colonial-legacy-lives-on">Continue reading...</a>IndiaIndian SummersChannel 4Television industryMediaUK newsWorld newsSat, 28 Feb 2015 12:08:34 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/28/shimla-indian-summers-raj-colonial-legacy-lives-onAnu Anand2015-02-28T12:08:34ZLeonard Nimoy, best known as Star Treck’s Mr Spock, dies aged 83 - video reporthttp://www.theguardian.com/culture/video/2015/feb/28/leonard-nimoy-star-treck-mr-spock-dies-aged-83-video-report
US actor Leonard Nimoy, who played Mr Spock in the cult sci-fi series Star Trek, has died at the age of 83 in Los Angeles. Nimoy was born in Boston to Ukrainian immigrants and Orthodox Jews. After achieving notice on TV shows like Rawhide and Perry Mason, he landed the role of Spock in the original NBC series, which debuted in 1966 <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/video/2015/feb/28/leonard-nimoy-star-treck-mr-spock-dies-aged-83-video-report">Continue reading...</a>Leonard NimoyStar TrekTelevisionUS televisionTelevision & radioCultureUS newsWorld newsSat, 28 Feb 2015 11:25:06 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/culture/video/2015/feb/28/leonard-nimoy-star-treck-mr-spock-dies-aged-83-video-reportGuardian Staff2015-02-28T11:25:06ZThe Walking Dead, Better Call Saul, The Daily Show, Last Week Tonight and Uncle: TV review – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/feb/17/walking-dead-better-call-saul-daily-show-tv-review-video
This week, telly addict Andrew Collins gets behind the sofa for the mid-season return of AMC's zombie saga The Walking Dead to Fox; finds himself a sucker for Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul, on Netflix; bemoans the resignation of Jon Stewart from Comedy Central's The Daily Show, and compares him to former protégé John Oliver, whose breakaway show Last Week Tonight returned to Sky Atlantic; and welcomes back surprisingly warm and avuncular BBC3 sitcom Uncle <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/feb/17/walking-dead-better-call-saul-daily-show-tv-review-video">Continue reading...</a>Television & radioTue, 17 Feb 2015 08:51:45 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/feb/17/walking-dead-better-call-saul-daily-show-tv-review-videoAndrew Collins and Mona Mahmood2015-02-17T08:51:45ZFortitude; Bitter Lake; The Good Wife; Suits; and Catastrophe: TV review – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/feb/03/fortitude-bitter-lake-good-wife-suits-catastrophe-tv-review-video
This week, telly addict Andrew Collins braves the cold of big-name, British-made Nordic thriller Fortitude on Sky Atlantic; lauds Adam Curtis's BBC iPlayer-only mega-doc Bitter Lake; welcomes the return of two glossy legal dramas from the US, season six of The Good Wife on More4 and season four of Suits on Dave; and gives a nod to the sweet soul of sexually frank comedy Catastrophe. Plus: some bunnies from a BBC1 pets documentary<br /><br /><strong>• WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE</strong> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/feb/03/fortitude-bitter-lake-good-wife-suits-catastrophe-tv-review-video">Continue reading...</a>Television & radioLife and styleTue, 03 Feb 2015 10:20:38 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/feb/03/fortitude-bitter-lake-good-wife-suits-catastrophe-tv-review-videoAndrew Collins and Mona Mahmood2015-02-03T10:20:38ZWolf Hall, Cucumber, The Eichmann Show, Sound of Song: TV review – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/jan/27/wolf-hall-cucumber-banana-eichmann-show-sound-song-tv-video-review
Telly addict Andrew Collins weighs up Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall on BBC2; the return of Russell T Davies to Manchester's Canal Street in Cucumber on C4; docudrama The Eichmann Show on BBC2; the return of musicologist Neil Brand with Sound Of Song on BBC4; and The Daily Show after Barack Obama's State Of The Union address<br /><br />• <strong>WARNING: SEXUALLY EXPLICIT CONTENT</strong> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/jan/27/wolf-hall-cucumber-banana-eichmann-show-sound-song-tv-video-review">Continue reading...</a>Wolf HallCultureTelevisionTelevision & radioWolf HallTue, 27 Jan 2015 10:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/jan/27/wolf-hall-cucumber-banana-eichmann-show-sound-song-tv-video-reviewPresented by Andrew Collins2015-01-27T10:00:00ZAscension, Girls, Togetherness, Spiral: TV review — videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/jan/20/ascension-girls-togetherness-spiral-tv-review-video
This week, telly addict Andrew Collins goes boldly beyond terrestrial and lands on Battlestar-like sci-fi saga Ascension on Sky1; nods approvingly to the return of HBO's Girls to Sky Atlantic; but sings from the rooftops about HBO's new mumblecore sitcom Togetherness; back on ITV, it's Mel &amp; Sue in live daytime chatshow mode; plus the return of gritty French procedural Spiral to BBC4; and a glimpse of the calm before the Twitterstorm on C4's Cyberbully <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/jan/20/ascension-girls-togetherness-spiral-tv-review-video">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionTelevision & radioGirlsTue, 20 Jan 2015 10:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/jan/20/ascension-girls-togetherness-spiral-tv-review-videoPresented by Andrew Collins2015-01-20T10:00:00ZBroadchurch, Silent Witness, Foyle's War, The Super-Rich and Us: TV review – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/jan/13/broadchurch-silent-witness-foyles-war-tv-review-video
Telly addict Andrew Collins looks at three returning drama-juggernauts: habit-forming Dorset post-whodunit Broadchurch on ITV; forensic procedural Silent Witness, back for its 18th series on BBC1; and period case-solver Foyle's War on ITV. He also reviews, from BBC2's Super-Rich season, two rewarding docs, The Super-Rich and Me and Rich, Russian and Living In London; plus, those calming new BBC1 idents at a turbulent time <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/jan/13/broadchurch-silent-witness-foyles-war-tv-review-video">Continue reading...</a>BroadchurchBBCITV channelMediaTelevisionTelevision & radioTue, 13 Jan 2015 10:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/jan/13/broadchurch-silent-witness-foyles-war-tv-review-videoAndrew Collins2015-01-13T10:00:00ZMapp & Lucia, Downton Abbey, Miranda, The Wrong Mans: TV review – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/jan/06/mapp-lucia-downton-abbey-miranda-the-wrong-mans-tv-review-video
Telly addict<strong> Andrew Collins</strong> returns from the seasonal break with a catch-up from the end of 2014: a sparkling new Mapp &amp; Lucia on BBC1; a disappointing Downton Abbey on ITV; the end of two comedies, Miranda on BBC1 and The Wrong Mans on BBC2; plus honourable mentions to Snow Wolf Family and Me on BBC1; continuing Danish saga The Legacy on Sky Arts; and Charlie Brooker's 2014 Wipe on BBC2 <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/jan/06/mapp-lucia-downton-abbey-miranda-the-wrong-mans-tv-review-video">Continue reading...</a>Downton AbbeyTelevisionTelevision & radioTue, 06 Jan 2015 10:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/jan/06/mapp-lucia-downton-abbey-miranda-the-wrong-mans-tv-review-videoPresented by Andrew Collins2015-01-06T10:00:00ZTelly addict Christmas special: the best TV of 2014 - videohttp://www.theguardian.com/global/video/2014/dec/23/telly-addict-christmas-best-of-2014-video
This week, telly addict Andrew Collins looks back over the year in TV: the scandals, the series finales, the stars, the strops, the Scandi influences, the scenery and the speeches. He also reviews his top three shows of 2014, and reveals his channel of the year <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global/video/2014/dec/23/telly-addict-christmas-best-of-2014-video">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionTelevision & radioGame of ThronesPeaky BlindersTue, 23 Dec 2014 10:43:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global/video/2014/dec/23/telly-addict-christmas-best-of-2014-videoPresented by Andrew Collins2014-12-23T10:43:00ZInside the Commons, Wolf Hall, Churchill, Mr Selfridge, Alaska: Earth's Frozen Kingdom, Looking and Pets: Wild at Heart: TV review – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/feb/10/inside-commons-wolf-hall-churchill-mr-selfridge-tv-review-video
This week, telly addict Andrew Collins goes Inside the Commons on BBC2 to see what a broken mainstream political democracy looks like; pops back into Wolf Hall for comparison; praises a repeat of the 1992 series Churchill; defends the melodramatic Mr Selfridge on ITV; falls back in love with HBO's Looking, on Sky Atlantic; and finds animal Zen in two BBC nature docs, Alaska: Earth's Frozen Kingdom and Pets: Wild at Heart <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/feb/10/inside-commons-wolf-hall-churchill-mr-selfridge-tv-review-video">Continue reading...</a>Television & radioTue, 10 Feb 2015 10:48:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2015/feb/10/inside-commons-wolf-hall-churchill-mr-selfridge-tv-review-videoAndrew Collins and Mona Mahmood2015-02-10T10:48:00ZThe Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies, Brian Pern: A Life In Rock and more: TV review - videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/dec/16/lost-honour-of-christopher-jefferies-brian-pern-life-in-rock-story-marshall-amp-vide
Telly addict Andrew Collins on a late contender for feature-length drama of the year, a rock-doc spoof, a rich helping of Jamie's Cracking Christmas on C4 and Gogglebox do a Taken <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/dec/16/lost-honour-of-christopher-jefferies-brian-pern-life-in-rock-story-marshall-amp-vide">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionTelevision & radioJamie OliverCultureTue, 16 Dec 2014 10:46:13 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/dec/16/lost-honour-of-christopher-jefferies-brian-pern-life-in-rock-story-marshall-amp-videPresented by Andrew Collins2014-12-16T10:46:13ZLife Story, Skint, Posh People: Inside Tatler, The Mekong River: TV review – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/dec/09/life-story-skint-posh-people-inside-tatler-mekong-river-tv-review-video
This week telly addict Andrew Collins catches up with some factual programmes in the lull before Christmas, enjoying another miracle from the BBC's Natural History Unit with the David Attenborough-narrated Life Story; finding more life and hope in C4's Grimsby-set, breadline documentary Skint than in BBC2's Posh People: Inside Tatler, where working at a magazine becomes a joyless finishing-school; and belatedly hopping aboard Sue Perkins' thoughtful and candid travelogue The Mekong River<br /><br /><strong>WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE</strong> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/dec/09/life-story-skint-posh-people-inside-tatler-mekong-river-tv-review-video">Continue reading...</a>Television & radioTue, 09 Dec 2014 10:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/dec/09/life-story-skint-posh-people-inside-tatler-mekong-river-tv-review-videoPresented by Andrew Collins2014-12-09T10:00:00ZThe Legacy, Tomorrow's Worlds, Remember Me, Stalker: TV review – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/dec/03/legacy-tomorrows-worlds-remember-me-stalker-tv-review-video
This week, telly addict Andrew Collins reaches for his Ibsen pass notes to praise the latest Danish import, The Legacy, on Sky Arts; enjoys the geeky trip aboard Tomorrow's Worlds: The Unearthly History of Science Fiction on BBC2; discovers he's not afraid of ghosts during BBC1's new supernatural drama, Remember Me with Michael Palin; and feels slightly uncomfortable hanging around Stalker, a new slick, women-in-peril procedural from CBS, showing on Sky Living <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/dec/03/legacy-tomorrows-worlds-remember-me-stalker-tv-review-video">Continue reading...</a>Michael PalinScience fiction and fantasyWed, 03 Dec 2014 10:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/dec/03/legacy-tomorrows-worlds-remember-me-stalker-tv-review-videoPresented by Andrew Collins2014-12-03T10:00:00ZRipper Street, I'm A Celebrity, It Was Alright in the 70s and Scot Squad: TV review – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/nov/25/ripper-street-im-a-celebrity-alright-70s-scot-squad-tv-review-video
This week, telly addict Andrew Collins applauds the reprieve of Ripper Street, cancelled by BBC1 but saved by Amazon Prime Instant Video; lasts less than one episode of I'm a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here on ITV; dares to put one enlightened foot into the pre-enlightenment past with C4 documentary It Was Alright in the 70s; and finds a gem on BBC Scotland, the mockumentary Scot Squad <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/nov/25/ripper-street-im-a-celebrity-alright-70s-scot-squad-tv-review-video">Continue reading...</a>I'm a Celebrity ...CultureTelevisionTue, 25 Nov 2014 10:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/nov/25/ripper-street-im-a-celebrity-alright-70s-scot-squad-tv-review-videoPresented by Andrew Collins2014-11-25T10:00:00ZThe Fall, Babylon, The Newsroom, Blue Bloods: TV review – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/nov/18/fall-babylon-newsroom-blue-bloods-tv-review-video
This week telly addict Andrew Collins approaches the return of BBC2's creepy serial-killer thriller The Fall with more caution than the blonde on the train; is glad to see Bain and Armstrong's cop comedy drama Babylon settle in on C4 after an indulgent pilot; finds the long-running CBS police soap Blue Bloods the same as it ever was on Sky Atlantic; and, on the same channel, salutes the verbose confidence of Aaron Sorkin's The Newsroom from HBO, back for its final run<br /><br /><strong>WARNING: CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE</strong> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/nov/18/fall-babylon-newsroom-blue-bloods-tv-review-video">Continue reading...</a>CultureTelevisionTue, 18 Nov 2014 10:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/nov/18/fall-babylon-newsroom-blue-bloods-tv-review-videoPresented by Andrew Collins2014-11-18T10:00:00ZBoardwalk Empire, Toast of London, Peaky Blinders, Detectorists: TV review – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/nov/11/boardwalk-empire-toast-london-peaky-blinders-detectorists-video-review
This week, telly addict Andrew Collins bids a fond farewell to three great series, and welcomes back another: Brummie crime saga Peaky Blinders on BBC2 and gentle, humane comedy Detectorists on BBC4 both ended with announcements that they'd be returning for another series; HBO's prohibition epic Boardwalk Empire reached its series finale in fine style on Sky Atlantic; Matt Berry's Toast Of London returned to C4 for a glorious second series; and there was an advert with a penguin in it<br /><br /><strong>WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE</strong> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/nov/11/boardwalk-empire-toast-london-peaky-blinders-detectorists-video-review">Continue reading...</a>Boardwalk EmpirePeaky BlindersTelevisionTue, 11 Nov 2014 10:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/nov/11/boardwalk-empire-toast-london-peaky-blinders-detectorists-video-reviewPresented by Andrew Collins2014-11-11T10:00:00ZThe Missing, Intruders, Scrotal Recall and more: TV review — videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/nov/04/missing-scrotal-recall-intruders-life-is-toff-house-of-lies-tv-review-video
Telly addict Andrew Collins talks BBC1's The Missing, US/UK co-production Intruders on BBC2, BBC3's docuseries Life Is Toff, C4's Scrotal Recall and comedy drama House of Lies<br /><br /><strong>WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE</strong> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/nov/04/missing-scrotal-recall-intruders-life-is-toff-house-of-lies-tv-review-video">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionTelevision & radioDramaComedyDocumentaryTue, 04 Nov 2014 10:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/nov/04/missing-scrotal-recall-intruders-life-is-toff-house-of-lies-tv-review-videoPresented by Andrew Collins2014-11-04T10:01:00ZThe Walking Dead, Freak Show, The Great Fire, Gomorrah, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Grayson Perry: TV review – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/oct/28/walking-dead-freak-show-great-fire-gomorrah-john-oliver-tv-review-video
Telly addict Andrew Collins gets into the Halloween spirit with two horror shows from Fox, the return of zombie apocalypse The Walking Dead and anthology series American Horror Story: Freak Show. He's a bit put out by The Great Fire on ITV; full of praise for Italian gangster saga Gomorrah on Sky Atlantic; and once again charmed by Grayson Perry on C4, who's asking, Who Are You? Plus: the dog Supreme Court from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver<br /><br /><strong>• WARNING: CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE AND DISTURBING SCENES</strong> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/oct/28/walking-dead-freak-show-great-fire-gomorrah-john-oliver-tv-review-video">Continue reading...</a>Television & radioTue, 28 Oct 2014 12:12:42 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/oct/28/walking-dead-freak-show-great-fire-gomorrah-john-oliver-tv-review-videoAndrew Collins and Mona Mahmood2014-10-28T12:12:42ZThe Apprentice, The Knick, The Code, Homeland, Gotham and The Walking Dead: TV review – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/oct/21/apprentice-knick-code-homeland-gotham-walking-dead-tv-review-video
Telly addict Andrew Collins endures the return of The Apprentice until he can stand it no longer; has a problem with period medical drama The Knick, from Cinemax on Sky Atlantic; has no problems whatsoever with BBC4's latest foreign import, The Code, from Australia; surprises himself with the return of Homeland to C4; and plays spot-the-future-character in Batman-origins spinoff Gotham on C5; and a dash of terror from The Walking Dead on Fox<br /><br /><strong>• WARNING: CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE AND GORE</strong> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/oct/21/apprentice-knick-code-homeland-gotham-walking-dead-tv-review-video">Continue reading...</a>Television & radioTue, 21 Oct 2014 09:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/oct/21/apprentice-knick-code-homeland-gotham-walking-dead-tv-review-videoAndrew Collins and Mona Mahmood2014-10-21T09:00:00ZThe Great British Bake Off, Grantchester, Detectorists and Cat Watch 2014: TV review – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/oct/14/great-british-bake-off-grantchester-detectorists-cat-watch-2014-tv-review-video
This week, telly adict Andrew Collins reviews The Great British Bake Off and ITV's latest drama, Grantchester, based on the 1950s-set short stories by James Runcie. He also looks at the bittersweet comedy Detectorists on BBC4, Cat Watch 2014: the New Horizon Experiment on BBC2, Forever on Sky 1 and Anarchy on Sky Arts <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/oct/14/great-british-bake-off-grantchester-detectorists-cat-watch-2014-tv-review-video">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionCultureTue, 14 Oct 2014 09:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/oct/14/great-british-bake-off-grantchester-detectorists-cat-watch-2014-tv-review-videoAndrew Collins and Mona Mahmood2014-10-14T09:00:00ZPeaky Blinders, 24 Hours in Police Custody, The Leftovers and Plebs: TV review – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/oct/07/peaky-blinders-24-hours-police-custody-leftovers-plebs-tv-review-video
This week telly addict Andrew Collins throws his cap in the air at the return of Brummie gangster saga Peaky Blinders to BBC2; spends 24 Hours In Police Custody on C4; belatedly gets up to speed with Roman sitcom Plebs on ITV2; reassures other fans of HBO's high-concept theological drama The Leftovers that he's still taking notes; and enjoys an impromptu scene of pet-appreciation from Gogglebox<br /><br /><strong>• WARNING: CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE</strong> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/oct/07/peaky-blinders-24-hours-police-custody-leftovers-plebs-tv-review-video">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionCultureTue, 07 Oct 2014 09:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2014/oct/07/peaky-blinders-24-hours-police-custody-leftovers-plebs-tv-review-videoGuardian Staff2014-10-07T09:00:00ZWhy historical inaccuracies in Wolf Hall don't matterhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/25/why-historical-inaccuracies-wolf-hall-dont-matter
<p>Wolf Hall is a drama, not a documentary, so artistic licence is allowed. And how accurate can we be about the Tudors anyway?</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/25/why-historical-inaccuracies-wolf-hall-dont-matter">Continue reading...</a>Wolf HallHistorical dramaDramaTelevision & radioTelevisionCultureWed, 25 Feb 2015 11:44:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/25/why-historical-inaccuracies-wolf-hall-dont-matterMark Lawson2015-02-25T11:44:02ZCan Jed Mercurio's Critical revive the medical drama?http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/23/medical-drama-flatlining-can-be-revived
<p>The heady days of ER are long gone, and hospital dramas have fallen from favour. Can Critical, starring Lennie James, breathe new life into the genre?</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/23/medical-drama-flatlining-can-be-revived">Continue reading...</a>Medical dramaTelevisionCultureTelevision & radioDramaMon, 23 Feb 2015 13:11:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/23/medical-drama-flatlining-can-be-revivedSarah Hughes2015-02-23T13:11:05ZMeet the Ukippers: beware people who own porcelain clownshttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/23/meet-the-ukippers-beware-people-who-own-porcelain-clowns
<p><strong>What we learned from the weekend’s TV</strong>: Ukip councillor Rozanne Duncan should stop explaining her choice of language, Indian Summers needs to get a move on – and Catastrophe just keeps getting better</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/23/meet-the-ukippers-beware-people-who-own-porcelain-clowns">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionCultureTelevision & radioThe VoiceIndian SummersSharon HorganUK Independence party (Ukip)Mon, 23 Feb 2015 10:56:29 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/23/meet-the-ukippers-beware-people-who-own-porcelain-clownsViv Groskop2015-02-23T10:56:29ZIndian Summers recap: season one, episode two – a cross-legged assassinhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/22/indian-summers-recap-season-one-episode-two-
<p>There’s a lot of immobility going around in the second episode of the subcontinental 1930s drama; but could they be a little less serious about it? </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/22/indian-summers-recap-season-one-episode-two-">Continue reading...</a>Indian SummersTelevisionTelevision & radioCultureDramaSun, 22 Feb 2015 21:57:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/22/indian-summers-recap-season-one-episode-two-Rhik Samadder2015-02-22T21:57:09ZEight reasons to celebrate the return of Goggleboxhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/20/eight-reasons-celebrate-return-gogglebox
<p>Whether you appreciate Leon’s grumbling, Sandra’s shrieking or the wisdom of the Siddiquis, TV’s most meta show is easy to love</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/20/eight-reasons-celebrate-return-gogglebox">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionTelevision & radioReality TVChannel 4CultureFri, 20 Feb 2015 11:16:53 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/20/eight-reasons-celebrate-return-goggleboxViv Groskop2015-02-20T11:16:53ZFortitude recap: season one, episode four – bloodied pyjamas and bear attackshttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/19/fortitude-recap-season-one-episode-four-bloodied-pyjamas-and-bear-attacks
<p>This Arctic mining town murder mystery is starting to reveal its charms; that’s if you call a subplot of fattening up your partner with minke whale charming</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/19/fortitude-recap-season-one-episode-four-bloodied-pyjamas-and-bear-attacks">Continue reading...</a>FortitudeDramaTelevisionCultureTelevision & radioSky AtlanticThu, 19 Feb 2015 21:59:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/19/fortitude-recap-season-one-episode-four-bloodied-pyjamas-and-bear-attacksGwilym Mumford2015-02-19T21:59:05ZWhat is the secret to Death in Paradise's success?http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/19/the-secret-to-death-in-paradises-success-is-simplicity-and-sunshine
<p>When is cold and dark, what’s better than an undemanding whodunnit on a beautiful tropical island – 8.5 million viewers can’t be wrong</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/19/the-secret-to-death-in-paradises-success-is-simplicity-and-sunshine">Continue reading...</a>Crime dramaTelevisionCultureDramaTelevision & radioThu, 19 Feb 2015 11:35:24 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/19/the-secret-to-death-in-paradises-success-is-simplicity-and-sunshineJack Seale2015-02-19T11:35:24ZThe Man in the High Castle among five Amazon pilots granted full serieshttp://www.theguardian.com/media/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/18/the-man-in-the-high-castle-among-five-amazon-pilots-granted-full-series
<p>The web giant has commissioned five new shows for its online video service off the back of viewers’ pilot reviews. How will they fare over a full series?</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/18/the-man-in-the-high-castle-among-five-amazon-pilots-granted-full-series">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionTelevision & radioAmazon Prime Instant VideoCultureDramaDocumentaryChildren's TVWed, 18 Feb 2015 17:51:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/media/tvandradioblog/2015/feb/18/the-man-in-the-high-castle-among-five-amazon-pilots-granted-full-seriesGwilym Mumford2015-02-18T17:51:07ZLisa Kudrow on Friends, Phoebe and why women in Hollywood should demand morehttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/22/lisa-kudrow-friends-phoebe-women-hollywod-demand-more
<p>With her mock-reality TV show The Comeback getting rave reviews, the former Friends star reflects on privacy, plastic surgery and the role that made her famous</p><p>It’s a boutique Italian restaurant in west Hollywood where glossy people with perfect tans sit around softly lit tables, murmuring movie talk. Everybody clocks who comes and goes, a discreet, I’m-not-looking eye-swivel. Lisa Kudrow walks in and gets double-swivel. No one says anything but you don’t need a Geiger counter to sense ambience adjustment. Celebrity in the house.</p><p>Kudrow appears oblivious. She sits down and smiles. I ask if she registers the furtive glances cast her way during public outings. She shakes her head. “No, no. I shut that off for ever ago. It was one of the first things I shut off when Friends took off.”</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/oct/23/the-comeback-lisa-kudrow-return-hbo-reality-celebrity">The Comeback comes back: Lisa Kudrow's prescient show returns to TV</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/22/patricia-arquette-oscars-speech-equal-pay-women">Patricia Arquette uses Oscars speech to call for equal pay for women</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/22/lisa-kudrow-friends-phoebe-women-hollywod-demand-more">Continue reading...</a>Lisa KudrowFriendsCelebrityJennifer AnistonCultureFilmMatt LeBlancLife and styleSun, 22 Feb 2015 18:00:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/22/lisa-kudrow-friends-phoebe-women-hollywod-demand-moreRory Carroll2015-02-22T18:00:04ZBetter Call Saul: how to enjoy AMC's spin-off without watching Breaking Badhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/21/better-call-saul-amc-spin-off-breaking-bad
<p>The prequel has plenty to offer even those who haven’t watched Breaking Bad’s five seasons. A quick catch-up on all things Jimmy McGill</p><p>Pretty much the first thing we learn about Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) – one of the more colourful characters on Breaking Bad – is that his real name isn’t Saul Goodman. At some point in his past, he changed it from Jimmy McGill, because he thought that the petty hoods he defends would rather have a Jew defending them in court than an Irish dude (his new moniker is meant to sound like “It’s all good, man”).</p><p>How did that name change happen, and just how did Saul end up as the most well-known ambulance chaser working out of a tacky office in a strip mall in Albuquerque? Well, that’s what we’ll find out on Better Call Saul, AMC’s new Breaking Bad spin-off about Jimmy McGill’s early career. What’s great about this setup is that you don’t really need to have seen all five seasons of Breaking Bad to enjoy Better Call Saul. Having said that, all five seasons are streaming on Netflix, so if you don’t want to hear, “Oh my God, you haven’t watched Breaking Bad?” from one more well-intentioned acquaintance at a cocktail party, now is the time to get caught up.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/21/better-call-saul-amc-spin-off-breaking-bad">Continue reading...</a>US televisionBetter Call SaulBreaking BadCultureTelevisionSat, 21 Feb 2015 14:00:08 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/21/better-call-saul-amc-spin-off-breaking-badBrian Moylan2015-02-21T14:00:08ZGame of Thrones exhibition gives fans a taste of Westeros ahead of season fivehttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/09/game-of-thrones-exhibition-virtual-reality-season-five
<p>Virtual reality show at London’s O2 arena makes Seven Kingdoms come alive with an iron throne, interactive installations and props from the TV hit</p><p>Shooting to the top of the 700ft wall in the winch, snow swirling against your face, the bleak arctic landscape of the uncharted north stretches into the distance. Teetering on the edge, arrow after arrow of fire is suddenly loosed from below. Two whistle past your ears, but the third hits you square in the face, plunging you into the icy depths below. </p><p>For countless Game of Thrones fans, being able to experience the lands of Westeros through their own eyes has seemed as unlikely as all the principal characters making it through a series unscathed. But a virtual reality installation at London’s O2 arena – part of an exhibition of clothing, weaponry and other props from the show – is making the Seven Kingdoms come alive. For 60 seconds per person at least.</p><p>In high fantasy, female characters leave a lot to be desired … characters like Ygritte are interesting and diverse</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/09/game-of-thrones-exhibition-virtual-reality-season-five">Continue reading...</a>Game of ThronesCultureTelevisionTelevision & radioMon, 09 Feb 2015 16:14:44 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/09/game-of-thrones-exhibition-virtual-reality-season-fiveHannah Ellis-Petersen2015-02-09T16:14:44ZThe Royals: guaranteed to be the trashiest thing on TVhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/jan/21/the-royals-trashiest-tv-liz-hurley-joan-collins
<p>Liz Hurley plays the Queen! Joan Collins plays the Queen Mum! What’s not to love about the E!’s new drama about a British royal family?</p><p>Amid all its troubled antiheroes and fatalistic gunplay, the golden age of television has been desperately short of one thing: trash. Not your common or garden, lowest common denominator, mass market, light entertainment crap – switch on your TV after 5pm on any given Saturday and you’ll practically drown in the stuff – but knowing, high-drama, campy trash. Trash such as Footballers’ Wives and Desperate Housewives.</p><p> We’ve come close – Scandal is clearly preposterous but takes itself slightly too seriously, and House of Cards perpetually seems seconds away from turning into a full-scale Frankie Howerd parody of itself – but it has always been hard to shake the feeling that most modern showrunners have been too busy eyeing up prestige to fully commit to trash.</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheRoyals?src=hash">#TheRoyals</a> are bored and horny. FML. <a href="https://t.co/zuC1j2XatH">https://t.co/zuC1j2XatH</a></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/jan/21/the-royals-trashiest-tv-liz-hurley-joan-collins">Continue reading...</a>DramaTelevisionTelevision & radioCultureMonarchyJoan CollinsWed, 21 Jan 2015 13:52:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/jan/21/the-royals-trashiest-tv-liz-hurley-joan-collinsStuart Heritage2015-01-21T13:52:03ZFinnish punk band with a difference take a punt at Eurovision titlehttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/27/finnish-punk-band-take-punt-eurovision-title
<p>PKN, middle-aged rockers with learning disabilities, are tipped to be the runaway winners in the race to represent their nation in the finals in Vienna</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/27/finnish-punk-band-take-punt-eurovision-title">Continue reading...</a>EurovisionFinlandMusicEuropeCultureDisabilityLearning disabilityWorld newsPunkFri, 27 Feb 2015 10:42:27 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/27/finnish-punk-band-take-punt-eurovision-titleDavid Crouch2015-02-27T10:42:27ZBorgen creator Adam Price on series three, episodes five and six: 'We talked to a sex worker' - videohttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2013/nov/30/borgen-creator-adam-price-series-three-episodes-five-and-six-video
Adam Price, creator of hit Danish political drama Borgen, discusses some key themes from season three, episodes five and six, including the sexual relationships that unfold as the politics of prostitution come to the fore and the arrival of Birgitte Nyborg's greatest personal challenge<br /><br /><strong>WARNING: contains spoilers for episodes five and six</strong> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2013/nov/30/borgen-creator-adam-price-series-three-episodes-five-and-six-video">Continue reading...</a>BorgenTelevisionCultureSat, 30 Nov 2013 23:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2013/nov/30/borgen-creator-adam-price-series-three-episodes-five-and-six-videoMike Koll Ffel/BBC/DR/Mike Koll ffelBirgitte Nyborg Christensen and Jeremy Welsh of Borgen Photograph: Mike Koll Ffel/BBC/DR/Mike Koll ffelStuart Jeffries2013-11-30T23:00:00Z